The Search
by wuogkat
Summary: This is a sequel to The TA and The Freshman - read one of those 1st! Bella Cullen took her bike out for an afternoon ride and never came back. Alice must discover the truth behind her sister's disappearance. AU, Vampires, Sequel, canon couples
1. The Missing Bride

**A/n Okay peeps this is the sequel to "The TA" / "The Freshman". READ ONE OF THOSE FIRST. I'm working on two other projects because according to LJ, I like burning my candle at both ends. (Not quite what she said but I'm going to keep the A/n innuendo to a minimum.) I would wait and post this after it's been beta'd but ... I haven't secured anyone to beta this story yet AND I don't want y'all to feel like I've forgotten you. So, if any of you are interested in beta'ing, please PM me****. I need a member of the Grammar and Punctuation Gestapo. **

**On the "other projects" front. I am working on a fic to accompany the blog for Lambcullen's new fic "Tilt". It will be M-rated because of frank sexual discussion and adult situations. I'm also working on continuing "Biological Compulsion". **

**So, forgive me, but I'm kind of stretched thin. Previews for reviews may or may not happen, depending on how the chapters flow.**

**Music:**

**Jennifer Nettles Band, "Remain"**

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It didn't take long for Bella's plan to seduce Edward to work. I found myself glad that I made the trip to Forks to get Edward's mother's engagement ring and the dress that I ordered for Bella. When he finally caved in and agreed not to wait until everything was perfect in their relationship, I was ready. We would have had the wedding two days after his proposal but Carlisle and Esme felt that we should invite some of our friends to share the day. The Denali Coven came into town along with Liam, Siobhan, and Maggie. We sent announcements to the other major covens and a few nomads showed up. It was hard on Bella to not have her parents there. I don't think that she's a girl who ever dreamed about getting married, but when it came down to it the day was lacking without her parents. Jasper gave her away, and I was her matron of honor. She smiled and she was happy to marry Edward but deep down she was still sad.

After the wedding the house settled into a familiar groove. Bella insisted that she and Edward put off their honeymoon to Isle Esme until after she felt more confident that she wouldn't hurt a human. Instead, we built them a little cabin about three miles away from the house in the middle of the forest. Being there was easier for the two of them as Bella was still a bit shy, and Edward had difficulty being intimate with her in the house. Edward set up a bed in their room at the main house, and they spent a good portion of their time during the week at the house with us. They lived in the cabin on the weekends, and any night when there wasn't some sort of activity going on at the main house.

Bella insisted that we also continue with college as previously planned. Her reasoning was solid, but Edward still wanted to run off with her. She pointed out that it would be more suspicious if we left so soon after her disappearance. I think that she secretly didn't want to be a burden. She knew that she couldn't really go out in public until her eyes faded from red to gold, and she hated the contact lenses that I bought for her. I could sympathize with her. The lenses made things slightly blurry and they were uncomfortable. So, she stayed home and read while we went to class.

It was after one such day of school, that everything changed. Edward and I were the only two with class on Monday afternoons. Rosalie, Jasper, and Emmett had taken to returning home separately after their morning classes finished on those days. It was initially done so that they could help Esme keep an eye on Bella on days when Carlisle worked. Bella really didn't need supervision though. Edward and I pulled into the drive that afternoon, and bypassed the garage. Bella's scent was faint in the driveway like she had taken a walk recently. I smiled and bounded up the stairs to her room, but what I found there shocked me.

She was gone. I didn't notice at first, because, Bella faded in and out of my visions over the past two months. She was practicing using her shield, and I grew so accustomed to her appearances and disappearances, that I missed it when she made the decision to leave. Edward was by my side before the revelation had completely sunk in. He grabbed my shaking hands, and looked into my eyes.

_She's gone. I can't find her, _I thought for his benefit. I closed my eyes and threw my mind into the future to try again but I could only catch a faint shimmer of her. There wasn't enough information to do much other than confirm that she was still alive.

"Do you know why?" My brother leaned in the doorway opposite me.

_No, she's just gone,_ I replied.

"Is there a note?" He pushed off of the door frame, and moved into the room that he shared with his wife.

"I don't know, I only just discovered..."

"Let's not panic. Maybe she's just gone hunting, or shopping?" He scoured every flat surface in the room for a note. Her scent was still strong in the air, so it hadn't been long since she left.

"Shopping?" I asked. "She changed into a vampire, not a completely different person." I sighed and went to go check the garage for her motorcycle. There was no way that Bella had gone shopping by herself. I practically had to drag Bella by her hair to get her to go buy lingerie for her wedding.

Jasper met me at the bottom of the stairs. His face was lined with worry.

"What's wrong?" He murmured.

"Bella," I offered only the one word in explanation that did more to puzzle Jasper than to clear up why I was worried.

"She's been awfully quiet today," Emmett spoke up from the couch.

"She's missing," I whispered. Emmett was on his feet and to the garage in a flash. He stormed back in with his eyebrows scrunched together and his fists clenched.

"The bike's gone," he declared.

"Did she say anything to either of you?" Edward's voice sounded from behind me.

"No, I haven't seen her all morning." Emmett shook his head.

"She doesn't come out of your room very often when you're gone. She likes to be alone so I don't bother her," Jasper explained.

"Was there a note?" I turned to Edward.

"No, but she took her saddle bags." He shook his head and ran his palms over his face before settling down on the steps. "Has she said anything to any of you? Has something been off lately?" He looked up at Jasper. "Jasper? What was that?"

"Alright, don't be mad. She told me that she'd tell you in her own time," my husband explained. "She's been depressed. She hid it exceedingly well but I assumed that it had to do with Charlie and Renee." He gave Edward an apologetic look. "You have to know that if I had thought that anything was out of the ordinary that I would have said something."

Edward uttered and expletive and I stared at Jasper. He and Bella had been keeping her feelings a secret not only from Edward but from me as well. It hurt.

"Wait, how did we miss the bike starting up and her leaving the house?" Emmett blinked a few times.

"She must have walked the bike out," Jasper hypothesized. "I'm going to go try calling her." He stepped a few paces away ad dialed.

"She's on the bike so there should be a trail to follow." Rose closed the door to the garage behind her and stood next to Emmett. "I wouldn't be too concerned though. She always comes back."

"What do you mean she always comes back?" Edward growled.

"She likes to take the bike out while you're in class Edward," Rosalie explained and crossed her arms defensively.

"No one is accusing you of doing anything wrong babe." Emmett used his thumb to wipe a smudge of grease off of her cheek. Rosalie leaned slightly into his hand but her expression remained solid.

"And you just let her go?!" Edward was on his feet and in Rosalie's face. He stared intently into her eyes and concentrated on her thoughts, drowning the rest of us out. I could tell that she wasn't cooperating out of spite.

"Does she ever take a bag Rose?" I asked.

Rosalie's face fell and she shook her head. Edward hissed and I raised my eyebrows at him.

"I should have noticed. I'm sorry," Rosalie gasped. She turned and gave me an apologetic look. "She took her saddlebags today."

Jasper clicked his phone closed and shook his head. Bella's phone was off, and had gone straight to voicemail. Edward's agitation grew.

"How long?" Edward grunted and pushed past Emmett as soon as the question was out of his mouth. I caught a glimpse of Edward getting into the jeep within the next few seconds and motioned for Emmett to follow him. Emmett lumbered out the door after Edward and helped him take off the hard top before preventing him from driving. Jasper joined the other two after kissing me on the cheek.

"This isn't my fault," she informed me.

"I never said that it was." I held my hands up. "How long has she been gone?"

"Three hours, she normally would have been back two hours ago. I just assumed -"

"Enough Rose, it would have been nice if you told us that she was sneaking out." I rested my hands on my hips.

"Well, you and Edward normally keep such close tabs on her that I figured you knew about her little joy rides in the afternoon," Rosalie snapped. "Her control is impeccable, she's never attacked a human, and she's a heck of a lot more durable now that she's a vampire. She's not going to hurt anyone. Would it kill the two of you to give her some freedom?"

"Rose, this is all beside the point. She's missing and she took a bag with her. We need to find her."

"Well, why don't you do your thing and find her future?"

"I've tried," I spoke through gritted teeth. "She's been practicing with her shield in the afternoons and it's currently up. I won't be able to find her until she drops it." _If she drops it_, I added mentally and heard Edward sigh in the garage.

"Have you ever thought that maybe she changed her mind? Maybe she doesn't want to be here? Maybe she doesn't want to be one of us?" Rosalie stood up a bit straighter and let the accusations fly. "She didn't agree to this life until that day. We should have -"

"We should have what Rose? Let her die? I can't believe that you would suggest that after seeing what both she and Edward went through without each other. Esme did the right thing." I pointed a finger into Rosalie's chest before making my way to the garage.

"Alice, wait!" She called to me when I had made it halfway out the door. "She isn't happy. She thought that she would be but it's obvious that she's not and it's been getting worse over the past two weeks." Rosalie sighed and shook the hair off of her face before she continued, "she's been hiding something from us other than being upset. Something is actually wrong. When you and Edward are gone, she's a different person."

"Thanks Rose," I whispered. "I'm not mad. You know that I love you, right?"

"Yeah Alice, I know."

I closed the door behind me and left Rose in the house by herself. Jasper beckoned to me and I leapt into the back of the Jeep with him. Emmett took off as soon as I made it in. I sighed and snuggled into Jasper's shoulder for comfort. Edward focused on Bella's scent, and directed Emmett where to go. We had to drive uncharacteristically slowly in order to make it work but using the Jeep was less suspicious than all of us running down the street to follow her scent.

Jasper ran his fingers through the spikes in my hair and I sighed. I could only imagine what Edward was feeling. I focused myself on scanning for Bella's future. Something serious had to have happened for her to run off. I sent text messages to Carlisle and Esme explaining the situation. Esme was at a fundraiser for the botanical gardens and Carlisle was working. I watched both of them receive the message and drop everything to get home to help Rosalie with research. I wasn't quite sure what information we needed just yet, but their help would be necessary.

I pulled my phone out in anticipation of a call from Rosalie. She hadn't decided what she was going to say. So, I was left in the dark. It was possible that she had done it on purpose. Over the years the family figured out little ways to keep me from knowing everything before it happened. I was unaware that my acting skills were that bad until Edward started putting off decisions, then Rosalie and Carlisle, followed by Jasper and the rest of the family. Bella figured it out as a human but in the past couple of months with aid of her shield she made it nearly impossible to predict what she was going to do.

The phone rang as I flipped it open.

"Alice," Rosalie sighed from the other end. "I've been trying to figure out what she had in her saddle bags. I went through her things and she's taken a few days worth of clothes. But more importantly, she took all of the cash we had in the house."

Edward cursed again. Jasper and Emmett each drew in a sharp breath.

"Thanks, Rose."

"It's bad isn't it?" She asked.

"I still can't see anything. I don't know why she'd run off or why she'd take so much money with her." I shook my head. Bella took several thousand dollars, and that much money in her hands was frightening because, I knew that she didn't want it for some frivolous purpose. What would Bella need that much money for?

"I'm so sorry. I'm going to keep looking for clues around the house." She hung up before I could assuage her guilt.

"I don't know, Alice," Edward answered my question of, 'why?' before I could voice it.

"We need to figure that out, because I guarantee that Bella isn't going on a shopping spree with all of that cash."

"I just don't understand," Edward tore at his hair again. "How didn't I know that she was unhappy?"

"Edward …" Jasper warned him.

"Turn left, Emmett," Edward grunted.

"She was genuinely happy when you were home," Jasper explained. "I never sensed anything other than love between the two of you. She loves you Edward. I know it."

"There has to be some logical reason for this," Emmett spoke up. "This isn't like her. Bella is responsible, ridiculously responsible. She makes Carlisle look irresponsible for goodness sakes. Her control is perfect but she didn't push boundaries to go out except for her trips out on the bike. Why would she go out without telling anyone other than Rose?"

Edward grunted.

"I'm saying it anyway," Jasper directed his comment at Edward. "Edward is overprotective. Bella's been a vampire for months and he still gets nervous every time she hunts."

"This is more serious than that," I argued. "I'm not overprotective of her and she hid from me too. Something is terribly wrong."

Bella liked her privacy. I think that she realized soon after her change exactly how much we faked not knowing what was going on. We always knew what had gone on between her and Edward. Back in Forks, we knew everything from when they kissed to when he had denied her pleas to become one of us. We could tell by scent if she had a cold or missed showering because she was in a hurry. We heard every conversation at the house, and I saw every fight that she and Edward had.

She figured it all out within the first week of being a vampire. Bella was distraught when she knocked on my door. She pulled her hair back into a messy ponytail and slumped onto the bed in my room.

"My hearing isn't any more sensitive than yours is it?" She folded her arms behind her head.

"It's not likely," I squeaked. The rest of the conversation wasn't going to go well. Bella would leave unhappy and feeling betrayed.

"So, when I was a teenager and …" She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence and let the fact that I'd already seen her question ask it for her.

"Yeah Bella, we heard everything. Emmett and Jasper were always impressed at how little time it took you to get Edward worked up to the point where he would make you stop." There was no gentle or easy way to approach the topic. She knew that we could hear things but the illusion of privacy sometimes fooled her into thinking that we didn't. "We never intentionally listened," I clarified.

"I knew that you could hear us but I never quite caught on to how much you could … Wow … This is awkward," she grimaced.

"Please don't be mad," I begged even though I knew that it was fruitless.

"You just treated me like I was such a child, and I wasn't," she huffed.

"We wanted you to be comfortable at the house, and if you thought that we were always listening, then we never would have seen you or Edward," I tried to explain.

"That doesn't make knowing any easier. I feel like a fool."

Actually hearing the words hurt more than my premonition that they were going to be said.

Jasper stroked the back of my hand and I looked up. Bella had parked her bike outside of a shopping mall. Edward jumped from his seat and to the bike before the Jeep stopped. He picked up her scent and headed toward the mall. My eyes clouded over. He would come back within minutes. I could see that he didn't find a trail past the doors and we needed to call home for more information. This was a dead end. Edward looked up at me after sharing my vision and reached for his phone to dial home.

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**A/n: Some of you are cursing me right about now. That's okay. **

**Reviews = Love**


	2. False Trails

**A/n Have I mentioned that it's good to be back to this story? I love y'all! **

**Seriously, if anyone is interested in beta'ing this ... PM ME! **

**I made a spiffy banner (or two) for this fic. Check it out on my flickr :**

**www . flickr . com /photos /20939751 N03 /4119637501**

**Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. I own a minivan and an extensive collection of Jennifer Nettles CDs.**

**Music: Owl City, "Cave in" (picked for its lyrics)**

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"Carlisle, the trail's gone cold," Edward relayed the information. He was crushed.

"How?" Carlisle's answer was muffled but I could still hear it from across the car.

"She parked her bike at the mall and laid a false trail to the door. There's no sign of her."

"Why don't you go ahead and come home? You'll be able to tell if anything important is out of place in your room better than we will," Carlisle sounded calm and collected. He trusted Bella. In truth, we all trusted Bella; but, this was so far from her usual behavior that we were worried.

"We'll be back in a little while," Edward groaned and hopped out of the Jeep. He clicked the phone shut and turned to us. "I'm going to take a quick walk around and make sure that she hasn't left a trace anywhere."

I made a move to follow him and Jasper touched my arm. "Let him go, he needs a few minutes," He whispered low enough to keep Edward from hearing.

As soon as Edward was out of sight, I dropped my head into my hands. There was nothing to do but wait. Jasper's hand slid across my back and he calmed me. I took a very deep breath and looked up at him. He gave me a reassuring smile and mouthed, 'I love you.' I reciprocated.

"Knock it off back there," Emmett half-heartedly chastised us. Jasper let out a faint laugh.

"You're one to talk," Jasper muttered and I smiled at him. We sat in silence and waited for Edward to cool down. He made a full circuit of the mall and the parking lot before he gave up and returned to us.

"She has to have gotten into a car. The problem is that her scent goes from here to the door in a straight line without wavering." He let out a gust of air in a huff and flopped into his seat disheartened.

"So, this had to have been planned. Or she got lucky and there was someone parked next to her willing to take her someplace," Emmett grumbled.

"You all want to know why, but I assure you that it's beyond me." Edward leaned forward and pinched the bridge of his nose. Emmett put the car into gear and drove home. It was quiet. I focused on Bella's shimmering form, just out of reach. She was a mirage in our desert.

Edward seemed to relax a little with the thought of her incorporeal form. It was something; at least her future wasn't black. In truth, this wasn't nearly as scary as when she went out with the dogs. Edward's posture told me that he didn't fully agree with me on that, but then again, when she was with the Quiluette wolves, he would spy on her. That was hardly playing fair. He smiled almost imperceptibly. I kept up my internal banter for the entire drive home. It seemed to help him cope. When we reached the house, he nodded his thanks and headed for the door.

Carlisle stood waiting for us. He had a plan including a tedious amount of "leg-work." He and Esme ushered us all into the living room for a family meeting. We needed a concrete plan to find Bella.

"I'm going to suggest that we search smarter rather than harder," Carlisle jumped straight to the point. "I know that the trail seems to have gone cold but there's always a trail, even when we leave with time to cover our tracks. Bella's inexperienced, she's sure to have made some form of misstep and we'll be able to find her."

"I know that this isn't a popular opinion, but I'm going to voice it again, what if she doesn't want to be found?" Rosalie folded her hands and rested her forearms on her knees as she spoke. Edward immediately groaned.

"I don't think that's the case," Jasper cut Edward off before he could open his mouth to openly criticize Rosalie. I gave Jasper a nod in gratitude for averting that skirmish. My husband was a wise man in that respect. He knew when someone needed to jump between the two and diffuse the situation before is became volatile. I admired him for it.

"Bella's emotions were conflicted but she was always happy around Edward. She never once seemed to feel resentful or upset with regard to any of us," Jasper finished his thought.

"Then, _why_-" Rose stomped on the floor repeatedly but halted when Esme eyed her. "I'm sorry but this just doesn't make sense."

"She _was_ upset when she realized how little privacy she had in comparison to what she believed to be true," I interjected. "We talked about it last month."

"Just in case Alice is right and she's upset, I think that we should make a list of places that she likes to go to relax and Emmett and Jasper should look for her," Carlisle took charge again. Edward gave him a look but he held up his hand and my brother settled back down. "The rest of us are going to pull up our bank and credit card accounts and go over every charge for the past two months, line by line. We should look over our cell phone bills too. Esme, would you mind checking them all against each other?"

"Of course not," her voice was soft from the edge of the room. Carlisle sighed and looked into Esme's eyes. She was just as upset as the rest of us.

"Well, let's get started. We need to make sure that she's alright," Carlisle sighed. Edward passed a slip of paper, accented with his elegant scrawl, to Jasper. "Boys, if you find her and she doesn't want to come home, don't force her. Just see if she'll talk to you."

Jasper gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before he and Emmett got back into the jeep. I took the stairs two at a time and sat down at the computer in the bedroom Jazz and I shared. All of our accounts were pulled up in a matter of seconds. I felt the room fade and grabbed my phone. I dialed Jazz before the vision finished. They weren't out of the driveway yet.

"Yes darlin'?" He answered.

"The sun's coming out in an hour. Either put the top on the jeep or take something else," I warned him.

"Yes ma'am," he crooned.

"Okay, now go find my sister," I smiled into the phone.

"I'll do my best," he responded but I knew that there was more. "Alice, she's not mad at you or Edward. Whatever this is, it's not about either of you. She doesn't shield her emotions often. I _know_ that there has to be something else going on."

"Thank you, Jasper. You're the best husband a girl could ask for."

"You can show your gratitude later," he hummed and I felt weak in the knees. Jasper Whitlock knew exactly what to say to distract me from day one.

"We'll see about that, Jazz," I responded in a breathy whisper.

"For that voice, anything." I could hear the wicked smile spread across his face.

"Now, go!" I ordered.

"Yes, ma'am."

I hung up the phone and e-mailed our phone bill to Esme so that she could cross-reference it with everyone else's. Then, I started looking over our monetary transactions, line by line. Even with enhanced abilities, it took a long time. I watched Jasper and Emmett's progress carefully.

It seemed that Bella had been to every spot on the list during the day and left a trail that dead-ended. In addition, at every stop, they found a word discreetly hidden. They called Edward with the first three: please, love, don't. Carlisle had to talk Edward in to staying and looking over his financial information since the rest of us wouldn't know if anything was out of the ordinary. Edward stewed in his room.

It wouldn't be long before Jasper and Emmett finished their trip. I could see them home soon. Something tickled at my subconscious and I looked at the credit card bill in front of me. There were two plane tickets booked last week. Edward was at my side before the revelation fully dawned on me. I didn't purchase those and Jasper would have told me.

"Look for plane tickets," Edward spoke into the hallway for everyone else to hear.

I dialed first one airline and then the other. Both tickets were booked for "Bella Cullen" and both flights left an hour prior to my finding them. One was to Seattle Washington, the other to Moscow, Russia with a connection through Germany.

"I have two on my card," I heard Rosalie gasp from her room two doors down.

"I have two as well," Carlisle spoke up from the doorway. Edward leaned over me and pulled up the last account that he needed to check on my computer, he found one ticket.

"She bought seven tickets." I suddenly felt very uneasy.

"Why would she buy seven?" Esme appeared with her hand on Carlisle's shoulder.

"She's splitting us up," Edward answered and ran his hand through his hair again.

"This isn't completely bad, son. Look at the way she did it," Carlisle gestured for him to calm down. "She bought seven tickets, not twelve. Which means that she wants to be found but not immediately."

"Or she's traveling by car and is laying a trail that will send us as far away as possible," Edward groaned again.

"Esme, did you find anything?" Rosalie had made her way into the crowded doorway. Esme had found something but it wasn't going to offer much information.

"There's one phone number that I don't recognize on all the bills. Calls started to it daily one month ago."

"It's a prepaid phone," I sighed. "I can see us making the call and getting that information. There's no sense in wasting the time."

I remembered it. A few days after the wedding, Bella found me downstairs on the couch with Jazz. We were watching the original version of "The Italian Job" and discussing purchasing a Mini-Cooper. Bella came down the stairs with her phone in hand.

"Jasper, can I use your phone? I wanted to talk to Edward but I killed mine again." She bit her lip.

"Here, use mine," I spoke up and passed my phone to her. "Try to be gentle with it."

"Thanks, I just needed to talk to hear his voice." She smiled and slipped back over to her house to make the call. I thought that it was peculiar that she put up her shield before she got back to her house but brushed it off.

"She's nervous when he's not around," Jasper commented.

"I'm not sure that she'll be confident without him for quite some time," I responded and nestled into his shoulder.

"Do you think that you were right to help her rush into marriage?"

"They're soul mates, it was hardly rushing. Besides, the sexual tension was killing you." I planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Now, _that_ is correct. Having those two in the same house without acting on their feelings was torture." His smile broadened. "But you were always willing to help me out with that, now weren't you?"

I grinned back at him. Jasper leaned down and placed a kiss on my lips. I pulled a hand up into his hair to keep him close. He blindly grabbed the remote and turned off the movie. His hands found me and I felt a tingle in my spine. Jasper gently pushed me down on the couch. I pulled in a deep breath with his scent and hummed. He knew exactly where to touch. That was one of the many benefits of having been together for so long and being married to an empath. He always knew exactly what I needed.

We stopped when we heard Bella in the yard. She was mumbling something under her breath and the shield was still up. Jazz pulled my shirt back into place and turned on the movie while I sat up. Unlike some other couples in the house, we enjoyed our privacy.

"She's shielding me, is she doing it to you as well?" I asked.

"Yes, but I'm not sure that it's doing her any good. I can hear that she's irritated." He shook his head.

"What do you think's bothering her?" I played with the collar of his shirt. My finger slid between it and his skin.

"I don't rightly know. Edward has been pressuring her to get out of the house more, and she was, but this week she's just kind of clammed up." He ran a hand through my hair. "She'll be alright, darlin'. Not everyone handles things as efficiently as you do."

I didn't understand at the time that she was sad. The only emotion that I had seen was the frustration and Jasper never enlightened me further. I looked up at Edward and he nodded.

"She didn't call me that day though," he murmured.

"Which day?" Esme cocked her head to the side.

"October tenth," I answered for him. Esme closed her eyes for a second. I knew what she was doing. She was checking the phone records. She'd seen them all and just needed to pull up the image behind her eyelids to check.

"That's the first call," she whispered. "It was made from -"

"My phone," I cut her off. "Bella broke hers and asked to borrow it. She said that she was calling Edward. She took it out to her house to make the call. I didn't think anything about it."

"Why would she go all the way to the cabin to call Edward?" Carlisle asked.

"That was right after the privacy talk she and I had." I observed a few vacant looks. "She never realized exactly how much we could all _hear_ when she was around."

"Oh!" Esme was surprised before she grimaced. "oh."

"Yeah, oh, she was upset that we never told her. I thought that I handled it appropriately." I paused for a moment. "I guess that I just wasn't paying enough attention. She took her phone all the way to the cabin to make phone calls after that." I couldn't help but feel that I had created a situation where we were open to missing her distress. If a need for privacy while making phone calls hadn't become the norm for Bella, then it might have been more suspicious.

"Alice, don't beat yourself up about that. I'm her husband and she managed to hid it from me," Edward spoke softly and gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"Imagine that amount of work she had to put into hiding this?" Esme mused, "I mean she hid plane tickets and secret phone calls. She left messages and false trails everywhere that we'd think to look for her. She's using her shield to block Alice's ability ... don't you think that this is a lot of effort just to protect her privacy, or even for her to leave us..."

"Jasper and Emmett will be home in a few minutes," I said quietly as soon as I saw them retrieve the last of the messages. "I still can't see her."

"We _will_ figure this out," Carlisle insisted. "If we don't, then our treaty with the Quiluetes might very well be forfeit. They left her in our custody and even though I feel that her control is sufficient, I hadn't told them yet since she expressed some trepidation."

Edward groaned in frustration and stalked down the stairs to wait on Jazz and Em. Esme flitted to my side and proffered her hand. I took it and followed her downstairs. The only thing we could do was wait and see what Bella had to tell us. I sincerely hoped that the clues the boys had collected would offer some form of explanation.


	3. Messages

**A/n Hello all! It is still technically this week. I loved the reviews and hope that my clue didn't mess with anyone's head too much. **_**BellaCullenSince1989**_** was the only one to venture a guess at the message. She got surprisingly close considering that I accidentally gave y'all an extra word. I'm sorry about that! *ducks for cover* **

**I'm delighted to announce that EdwardBellaHarryGinny (ebhg for short) beta'd this chapter and will hopefully continue to work with me on this project. She's bringing me up to my A-game.**

**Music:**

**Dido, "Hunter"**

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"Bella was happy," I reminded Edward. He gave me a questioning look and I searched for some sort of comfort to give him. I closed my eyes and waited for Jasper and Emmett to return. Something ticked at the back of my memory but I shoved it aside when the Jeep pulled into the driveway. I left Edward on the couch and went to the door to meet the boys.

Jasper slipped his hand into mine when he entered. I let out a tiny sigh of relief at the comfort of having my husband near. The world felt right when he was at my side. His hand belonged wrapped around my own.

Emmett barged into the house and gave the clues that he had found to Edward before wrapping an arm around Rosalie. Rose had become increasingly more uneasy about Bella's departure. At first she had been dead set that Bella was angry with us or that she didn't want to be a vampire and had left. However, the lengths that Bella was going to in order to conceal her location set off alarm bells for each of us.

Edward laid out the slips of paper written in Bella's scrawl on the coffee table. They smelled strongly of her. I could tell that Edward wanted to pick one up and smell it. He kept making the decision to do it and then stopping. It was hard to see him this way, rudderless.

I moved to sit down next to him and Jazz stood behind me. The words stretched out in a line:

Bella

Please

Love

Of

You

Me

I

Love

Them

Take

Everything

Forever

Follow

At

Stake

Is

Something felt off. I picked up the scraps of paper that read, "Everything." The scraps were identical crumpled white squares from an office note cube. It was the one from her desk at the college before the cliff diving accident and the coven of power hungry vampires that we'd fought off to rescue her. Edward tilted his head and looked at me. Each square had a slight strip of purple adhesive across the back of it. Most of those notepads came with red but I had noticed that Bella's was purple. Renee had left it at the school when she packed Bella's things. It didn't seem important.

"Alice, we didn't remove that notepad from her office," Edward remarked tightly. "Candace has been using it."

"So, she's been to the office?" Jasper cocked his head to the side.

"That makes no sense. Why would she risk exposure to go there?" Carlisle took a seat at the other end of the couch and tented his fingers.

"She's left another clue there," the words left my mouth as the realization dawned on me. It wasn't a vision but it made sense. "I'm betting that there's something on that pad we need to find."

Edward finally caved in and sniffed the paper. He wrinkled his nose and furrowed his brow. I sniffed my slip of paper. There was another scent faintly under hers.

"Is that Candace?" I asked.

"I don't think so. It's too faint to identify," Edward shook his head.

"I think that we should focus on the message," Emmett interjected. "Jazz and I did just spend the past couple of hours waiting for cloud cover in sixteen places to get the thing."

I handed Edward my slip of paper and he started to move the slips around deftly with his fingers. If the puzzle had been given to him under any other circumstances he probably would have enjoyed it. He gave me a quick nod and went back to rearranging.

Jasper placed a hand on my shoulder and my body relaxed involuntarily. I had a sudden feeling that everything was going to be alright. When I craned my neck to look back at him, he gave me a sly smile and a quick kiss on the cheek. I knew what he'd done and I appreciated that he'd comforted me. Jasper felt my appreciation and a brief loop of emotion formed between the two of us as he allowed me to feel his emotions as he felt mine.

Edward shifted and I broke eye contact with Jasper to see what he had come up with. The little white slips were arranged into a pattern on the glass table:

Please take care of Edward I love you, everything is at stake. Don't follow me forever. I love them.

Bella

"I don't think that's right." I shook my head. He went back to sliding the papers around. His hands moved fast as he rearranged them. He stopped and shoved both of his hands into his hair. I noted the dirty look that he suddenly gave Jasper.

_He's just trying to help, _I silently chided Edward.

The new arrangement wasn't much better than the first. He had pulled the word "of" and set it off to the side and he left a gap presumably for another word:

Edward,

I don't care take everything. I love you. Love them ( ) me, please. Forever is at stake.

Bella

Esme leaned over Edward's shoulder and glanced at the message. She shook her head and spoke, "That doesn't sound right, and it looks like you're trying to replace this 'of' with another preposition."

Edward started to move the papers again and my hand shot out to stop him. He gave me a perplexed look but removed his hands.

"Esme, what do you think?" I moved my hands and Edward's away from the pile. I could see her finding the message. Edward nodded to encourage her to take a turn. She grimaced and reached around Edward. Her fingers guided the papers into place in less than a second:

Edward,

I love you. Please don't follow me. Everything I love is at stake. Take care of them.

Yours Forever,

Bella

"That's it," Edward sighed. Carlisle craned his neck to glance at the message.

"It certainly explains the plane tickets," Rosalie huffed.

"Plane tickets?" I felt Jasper jerk ever so slightly as he turned to face Rose.

"She bought seven plane tickets," Carlisle sighed.

"Seven?" Emmett cocked his head to the side. "One for each of us?"

"Yeah, except for the fact that they're all in her name," Edward spoke and his fingers twitched toward his hair. The pained grimace on his face showed me that he wanted to try to rip his hair out. He had made an honest effort at doing exactly that a long time ago, only to find that it wouldn't work. Vampire hair can't be removed. He glanced at me and shrugged slightly before smooting his hands along his pants.

"Why would she do that?" Emmett's brows scrunched together.

"She's trying to divide us," Carlisle explained.

"Or someone else is trying to split us up," I interjected.

"Or she's just trying to get us away from the house," Rosalie stumbled over the words.

I felt Jasper's hand run along the back of the leather couch behind me. He was deep in thought. Edward cocked his head instinctively toward my husband while he listened. Edward tensed again. I felt a slight prickling sensation at the back of my mind and the hair on my neck stood on end. His future was shifting rapidly. I felt it swirl around him.

"Edward," I warned. The vision wasn't going anywhere productive. He was searching for the object of his anger to destroy him but he couldn't resolve it. _'Stop it, can you see that this isn't helpful? You're not getting revenge and it's not bringing you any closer to Bella.'_

The shifting continued as he tried to find a way to make his anger work for him. I growled and looked to Jasper for help. Edward huffed and relaxed slightly.

"Could one of the three of you explain that?" Emmett's voice strained with the effort of trying to keep his tone level. Silent conversations often irritated him.

"Jasper thinks that someone else is involved and I'm inclined to believe him," Edward spat the words out. He pulled his hands across his face before shoving them into his hair and scrubbing his scalp. the rest of the room looked at Jasper incredulously.

"None of this is Bella," Jasper finally whispered. "I think that Alice is right, someone is trying to split us up and whoever it is has Bella."

"There's only one problem with that: Bella is a newborn vampire with a talent for fighting." Emmett folded his arms and shifted his weight back onto his heels.

"She'd be hard to kidnap, true -"

"Hard? It'd be darned near impossible to get to her. It would have to be -"

"Another vampire," Edward's voice was emotionless and his face was void of emotion. He temporarily shut down in an effort to control his anger.

"Let's be practical boys, who would come after Bella?" Esme raised her voice.

"Mark," Edward, Jasper, and I answered simultaneously. Edward's response was short and clipped, Jasper groaned, and I sighed.

"I don't know how he would have gotten around me," I tried to keep the whine out of my voice.

"Is that even possible?" Emmett gasped in disbelief and cocked an eyebrow. I leaned back into the sofa and looked up at the patterns on the ceiling. The leather of the sofa creaked sightly. The silence in the room following Emmett's comment made the tiniest noise seem impossibly loud. Edward shifted uncomfortably, and Jasper moved his hand into my hair.

"It is entirely possible," Edward gloomily confirmed. "Alice only sees things that are the result of decisions and only if she's looking."

"I know that it seems like I'm infallible, but it's just not true. I don't know how Mark would have figured it out though. Jasper and I had decided that it was alright to stop watching him about three weeks ago, but Bella's odd behavior goes back about four." One of Edward's knees jerked up and down as he fought for control over his emotions. The vague swirling returned for a brief moment but he pulled himself back together. He had already known when I pinpointed the change in her behavior but he didn't want to believe it.

"Can you find him now?" Esme moved and her eyes met mine. I pulled in an unnecessary breath and cast my mind forward to look for Mark. I couldn't find him. There was nothing.

"No," I shook my head. Then, the vision took over. It was strong and the room disappeared in front of me. Rosalie made a noise. I held up a hand to quiet her. "Wait."

_The inside of an airplane. Bella in first class, her knees pulled into her chest._

"_Edward, Alice, I'm not hurt, don't worry," she whispered softly. She was alive and uninjured. I could tell that she was holding something back, her face appeared uncertain, the expression was too tight. Bella was exercising the same level of restraint to reign in her emotions that Edward was. _

The vision cut off abruptly. Edward's knees were pulled into his chest just like Bella's. He instinctually mirrored her. I scanned back over the vision briefly to look for any clues. I didn't have a sense of where she was other than a plane or how far into the future I happened to be glancing. Edward visibly relaxed beside me, and allowed a short gust of air escape from his lungs. Jasper passed a minute amount of Edward's relief to everyone else.

"She's alright," I explained before looking at the confused faces of my family. "Bella is alright, and she's definitely on a plane. I didn't get much else."

"The logical thing to do would be to book flights, split up, and follow her." Carlisle's head cocked itself slightly to the side as he spoke.

"That is assuming that this isn't a trap," Jasper pointed out. I sat up and pulled a pen from my pocket. I sketched my vision on the back of one of the slips of paper from Bella's message, and passed it to Esme. She stared at the image in her hand for a moment before clutching it to her chest.

"Yes, assuming that this isn't a trap," Carlisle repeated.

"I'm going to go ahead and look up the other four flights," Rosalie snapped and darted for the stairs. Emmett reached for her just as Jasper held up a hand. Rose halted when she noticed the gesture and turned back to Emmett. "I just feel useless and I need something to do. So, I'm going to go do something useful."

"Rose-" Esme started.

"No, not right now. I should have noticed and confronted her and I didn't." She stalked up the stairs, ignoring any further attempts to stop her.

"Give her time," Carlisle soothed Esme.

"It seems like there are a couple of things that we need to do." Jasper moved from behind me and walked around to the coffee table. He fingered one of the slips and spoke to Edward, "We need to go check the office for whatever clue Bella's left, and we need to find out what flight she got on."

"I have a friend at the FAA. I'll go get the flight details from Rose and make the call." Carlisle was on his feet and out of the room as soon as he finished speaking.

"Alice, you need to come with us. Andrew is your TA and you have a valid excuse to visit the office." Jasper's eyes met mine and I could feel the pang of urgency and regret there. "Edward, do you want to stay or come with us?"

Edward's mind was already made up. I saw him going to go to the cottage. He needed some time to process what Bella had done and why. I shook my head at Jasper and he pulled me off the couch. Edward rose without comment and ran for the refuge that he and Bella had shared for such a short time. I made a mental note to tell Esme about the furniture that he was going to destroy so that it could be replaced before we brought Bella back home-. If we brought her home. I heard a tree branch snap painfully in the woods and silently apologized to Edward.

Jasper led me to the garage, and we climbed into the Mercedes. I rested my hand over Jasper's on top of the gear shift. He sighed and looked at me. This was going to be a rough road and I didn't relish having to split up and get on separate planes when the time came.

"Edward can't be the one who finds her," he mumbled.

"He doesn't seem to be able to help it but at least he's getting a grip on it."

Jasper shook his head.

"If anyone is with her he's likely to rip them to shreds first and ask questions later," he stated and started the car. He caught my confusion. "We need to be able to asses the threat and neutralize it and if he kills the suspect we're given then we won't be able to find out where the trail goes."

I nodded.

"So, Bella's in trouble again?" His cheek lifted ever so slightly.

"It's always Bella, isn't it?" I giggled.

"Classic Bella." We were at the college in no time. The sun was setting when we exited the car. The afternoon felt utterly wasted, like we were treading water when we needed to swim the English Chanel.

"It couldn't be Rose or Esme to find trouble, just once," I joked and slipped my hand back into his as we met in front of the car for the slow walk across campus.

"Rose isn't nearly selfless enough to put herself in the positions that Bella gets into," he pointed out. I looked up at his beautiful face and smiled. It was true. Rosalie Hale would have just crashed head first through whatever the problem was, to heck with the consequences.

"Esme is equally selfless, and you don't see her continuously in trouble," I chimed in.

"Yes, but Esme is a lot wiser than Bella _and _she's more logical."

"Less adventurous too."

Jasper barked a laugh, "That is true. Can you imagine Esme cliff diving?" He immediately realized his error.

"Good thing Carlisle and Edward didn't hear you say that. The last time Esme went cliff diving it didn't quite work out very well." The little snippet of dark humor kept us from the edge.

"Bella _is _coming back," Jasper reassured me again. "She loves you and Edward too much to stay away and it doesn't matter what's happened or if we find her; she will come back, Alice. She always does."

"Like a somewhat more desirable bad penny, she always comes back." I pulled more closely into his side. "You have to admit that life is more exciting with her around."

"Much more exciting. I don't know how we lived for all of those years without our own personal danger magnet." He stopped and opened the door to the Lit building. We slipped in and found the office locked. Jasper picked the lock and let us in. The smell of human blood immediately assaulted us. My hand tightened around Jasper's. The second scent on the papers was some form of cleaner.

"This is bad, this is very bad – Alice!"

I instinctively looked for Candace whom I found on a date with one of the Biology TA's in about thirty minutes time. So, I shifted and looked for Andrew. _Andrew was in the hospital. He looked pale. One of his arms was broken and purple circles darkened the skin under his eyes. The break in his arm had required surgery. A doctor stood near him and tried to explain what they thought had happened but Andrew shook his head._

"_I don't understand," he said._

"_We think that you fell and lost consciousness for several days."_

"_But I don't remember falling. I was in my office last night and then I woke up here."_

"_You took quite a blow to your head, it's possible ..."_

"It's Andrew's blood." I clawed my way back to the present. Andrew would come out of surgery in about an hour.

"Do you think it's a coincidence?" Jasper was obviously doubting that possibility.

"Not likely, let's find the notepad and get out." I glanced over at Candace's desk and immediately found it. I picked it up and found that the bottom note had become detached. It was another note from Bella.

_Take the flights. Andrew is safe and alive._

I passed it to Jasper and flipped through the rest of the pad to be thorough. There was nothing else. I pulled in a deep breath of air and confirmed that I could smell Bella along with the blood. There was another vampire's scent just underneath but it wasn't strong enough to identify the culprit.

"Do you smell the second vampire?"

Jasper nodded and we left. Bella really could find spectacular trouble to get herself into.

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**A/n**

**Yes, it's a cliffie but you should all be used to that by now. ;-) "It's what I do darlin'(s), it's what I do."**

**Les Femmes Noires has gone to public voting and guess what made the shortlist? My story, Fire and Ash**

**If you've read it and enjoyed it please go vote. If you haven't checked out the competition I highly suggest doing so. There are some awesome dark entries and the review counts are shockingly low for the caliber of work exhibited. They're allowing everyone to select 5 to vote for rather than 3 and it took forever for me to pick.  
**

**Voting goes through December 10****th**** of 2009:**

Www . Fanfiction . Net /~lesfemmesnoires

**In other contest news, The Eddies and Bellies are officially open for nominations. I looked through the categories and one specifically seems to be MADE for my buddy, LJ Summers. Go forth and nominate people. ;-)**


	4. Different Destinations

**A/n: Hello all! I trust that everyone had a good holiday. **

**Twilight and all related material belongs to Stephenie Meyer. **

**Beta'd be the fabulous eghb. She rocks!**

**Music: KT Tunstall, "Other Side of the World"**

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"She's on all seven flights," Edward growled when he opened the door. "Alice, tell me that you found something more promising that Carlisle and Rosalie did."

_She wants us to follow_. I tried not to think of the smell in the office and focused on the note instead. _Take the flights._

"Edward, she's going to come back," Jasper asserted and grabbed Edward by the shoulder. "Wherever she is, whatever's happened, she'll find her way back to you."

Jasper's eyes were practically burning. He moved Edward as I slipped past and planted his hands on my brother's shoulders. The two were about to have a serious discussion where Jasper would attempt to straighten Edward out. I nodded at my husband and silently wished him luck. Edward made a slightly aggressive sound and Jasper tightened his grip.

I found Carlisle at the table with Esme and Rosalie. They were huddled around Rose's laptop on the opposite side of the table. Esme ran her fingers gently across Carlisle's back in a soothing motion. He was stressed. I knew that he was worried about what would happen if we actually lost Bella for some reason. We would be back to suicide watches and forcing Edward to hunt, not to mention dealing with our own grief. Carlisle sighed and leaned a fraction of an inch closer to her. In grief, vampires became inseparable from their mates. Esme was the only calm from the storm that was wreaking havoc with our patriarch. Carlisle was hoping for the best but planning for the worst.

Rose leaned down and grabbed huge hunks of her hair in her fists. Her frustration was palpable. Where was Emmett when he could actually be making himself useful?

"Is she really on all seven flights?" I whispered.

"It would seem so …" Carlisle looked up.

"Edward didn't take it well," Esme murmured. "He was hoping for the easy answer."

"I can't blame him for that. I kind of hoped for the easy answer as well," I admitted and walked around the table to look at the screen. I could only imagine Edward's reaction. Every time he lost Bella his emotions seemed to magnify. With James he had been focused on getting her back to the point of becoming a lethal predator. When he left her and then when we thought she was dead he allowed himself to wallow in self-pity and ate himself alive from the inside. Then, when she was kidnapped a few months ago he paced like a caged animal. Now, he was a caged lion growling at the bars and barring his teeth at everyone.

"So, where did our darling Bella go?" I turned my attention to the screen. Carlisle switched the tab on the browser and pulled up an e-mail from his contact at the FAA.

**Bella Cullen is listed as a passenger on all seven of the following flights:**

**Continental 1037 to Lima, Peru **

**American Airlines 6091 to Hong Kong, China**

**Air India 144 to Frankfurt, Germany**

**American Airlines 100 to London, England**

**Korean Air 8084 Seoul, Korea **

**United Airlines 3615 to Seattle, Washington**

**Continental 2071 to Jacksonville, Florida**

**Carlisle, the ID on all of these passengers matches was verified. I am concerned about this matter and the potential safety risks that it posses. Please let me know how to proceed.**

"I'm still trying to figure out how she's on all seven of them," Emmett spoke from the doorway. He smiled wryly but I was the only one who caught it.

"Well, of course it's not her on all of them!" Rosalie spat.

"She has to have given fake ID's to six people and sent them on the other flights," Carlisle patiently explained. I smiled back at Emmett who continued to wear a slight smirk over our private joke.

"I understand," Emmett spoke up. "I'm just being self deprecating to lighten the mood." He rolled his eyes and slid into the chair next to Rosalie. "Where's Edward, Lord of the Angst?"

"Give him a break numbskull." I cracked him on the back of the head. "He's having a talk with Jazz."

"Good, maybe he can knock some sense into him." Emmett scratched his head and then leaned his elbows onto the table. Esme glanced over at his arms and he straightened immediately.

We heard a sob break from the living room and Esme winced. Edward had made it past anger to the actual hurt he felt from Bella's disappearance. Jasper had likely pushed him just hard enough to crack his exterior.

"We have to find her," Esme whispered.

"Did she leave another message?" Carlisle caught my eyes with his. I could see the agony he experienced, it was the same for all of us.

"'Take the flights,'" I quoted. I took a deep breath before divulging the next piece of information. "Andrew has been injured."

Emmett let out a low oath and Esme gasped. Carlisle stood and I held up my hand to stop him.

"He's going to be okay. I think that a vampire injured him to get Bella to comply," I explained.

"Why?" Rosalie scrunched her eyebrows together and took her first glance away from the computer screen since I entered the kitchen.

"Because Bella is selfless and he would be easier to kidnap than one of us." Jasper appeared at my side as he spoke. "Mark can sense weaknesses. He must have caught a glimpse of her with her shield down."

"Provided that this is Mark," Emmett interjected.

"Who else could it be?" Esme hummed.

"It has to be Mark," I agreed with Jasper.

"Does it matter?" Rosalie clicked her tongue and directed her attention to the computer where she pulled up the exact flight information that Bella left behind. "She wants us to 'take the flights,' so let's do it. We need to divide them up."

Divide them up. That involved splitting up. It was the absolute last thing that I wanted to do. Jasper was my anchor. He was, quite literally, my life. Nothing from before mattered. We had never been separated for more than a few hours since we found each other. The destinations were all thousands of miles apart. I didn't relish the thought. The closest two destinations were Jacksonville and Seattle and they were across the country from each other.

"I'm taking Jacksonville," Edward announced from the living room. I eased my way around the corner to look at him. Edward huddled on the white couch. His dark clothing and demeanor were a stark contrast to the rest of the room. He ran his large hands over his face and looked over his shoulder at me.

"It's the first place she'd go if he had the choice," he explained while looking at me with eyes that brimmed with venom. "She would protect Renee."

"Why wouldn't she go to Forks and protect Charlie?"

"Because Charlie has the pack to watch over him. Renee and Phil are alone in Jacksonville." He sounded like something old and decayed, like death. He was brittle, fragile, and close to falling completely to pieces. I couldn't selfishly insist on taking Jacksonville solely because it was closest to Jasper.

I could take London and Jasper could take Moscow, or we could go to Hong Kong and Seoul. Truthfully, I wouldn't be much of an advantage in anyplace outside of the United States other than Moscow.

"Jasper or Carlisle should go to Seattle," Edward murmured and tried to hide his grimace.

"Why?"

"Because of the pack. Carlisle and Jasper are the best combination of patience and strength that we have," he sighed. "If whoever takes Seattle runs into the pack both may be necessary, given our current situation."

"Jasper should take Seattle," Carlisle suggested. Edward and I made our way back to the kitchen.

"I didn't broker the truce with the pack, I wasn't even there when you made the deal for Bella. Sending me doesn't make sense, Carlisle. It needs to be you," Jasper argued.

"No, I need to take London," Carlisle never raised his voice but he meant business. He caught the look on my face and explained, "None of you know London or the vampires there nearly as well as I do. There are a million places that any of you could miss if she's actually hiding there with Mark."

"So, Edward takes Jacksonville, Carlisle goes to London, and Jasper gets Seattle." Rosalie said as she clicked her fingers rapidly over the keyboard and made the reservations. Jasper looked up at me with sad eyes. The future cleared and I knew that Jasper and I were about to have one of the biggest arguments we'd ever had because I was going to go to Germany and possibly on to Russia.

Edward released a long slow breath and gave me a hard look. Jasper looked between the two of us and his right eyebrow lifted infinitesimally. It was going to be very bad.

"Emmett should go to Russia via Germany," Edward intentionally tried to change the course of the conversation. I shook my head. It wasn't going to work.

"That makes no sense," I argued. It dawned on me that perhaps this should be a private conversation among the parties directly involved, I switched to speaking Russian before questioning his judgment. "Vui znayete shto tolko mui s'Carlisle, e Dzhasper govorim pa Russiky. Emmett ne govorite pa Russiki e ne pa Germanii. Pochemy ti skazal Emmett nado exhat v Germanie?" _Jasper's going to be mad either way Edward. I'm the only one left who speaks Russian. Man up and admit it. _He winced and from Jasper's expression I knew that he was reading my husband's thoughts. I also knew from decades of being married to Jasper that he had already assessed that the difference in Bella's flight information to Russia - the fact that it was a connecting flight when a direct one was available could mean that this was the correct flight and thus, the most dangerous. Jasper didn't like the idea of me walking head first into danger. However, there were only four of us aside from Bella who spoke Russian: Carlisle, Edward, Jasper and me. _You picked Jacksonville. _Edward shot me a warning glance because he could see what I did: the explosion coming from Jasper. He shifted his eyes left then right in a plea for me to stop.

"Durak," I called Edward a fool and shook my head.

"Alice-" Jasper warned.

"Nyet!" I raised a hand to silence him. "Pochemy Emmett?" _Why Emmet, Edward? Say it._

"Because it's the only non-direct flight that she took and according to Jasper's mind it's the most likely to have an ambush waiting on the other end," Edward fumed. "I'm not risking my sister, my brother's wife, when I've just lost mine. I can't watch and hear Jasper feel the same things that I am."

Jasper opened his mouth to agree and I raised my hand to stop him again. He growled at me but couldn't get a word in.

"I'm the only one left who speaks Russian!" I got in Edward's face. "Do you seriously expect me to let _him_ deal with our Russian mafia contacts? Emmett's not exactly one to handle a delicate situation."

"Hey-" Emmett protested.

"Shut it!" I snapped back _This is why I wanted to have this argument in Russian, Edward._

"It's too dangerous!" Edward shouted back.

"Do you really think that sending Emmett into one, possibly two countries, where he doesn''t speak the language, and letting him try to navigate the intricacies of the Russian mob, is going to be effective?" I pointed a finger at Emmett and on cue Emmett reacted.

"What!?" Emmett baulked. "Are you saying that I can't handle myself?"

"Be realistic Emmett!" I took a second away from my argument before focusing back to the problem at hand. "We'll need their help to find her if she's there. Russia is huge. I'm the logical choice!"

"No, you're not!" Edward ripped at his hair and screamed back at me.

"Bella's not gone! She's coming back!" I shouted and felt the future shift around Carlisle. I knew what I had to say to get him on my side. "Edward, those are the only two countries where I can give us any sort of advantage! Emmett speaks Korean – he should go to Seoul! He's also more likely to expose us in a tense situation. Emmett is safer in Korea." I glanced at Edward, then Jasper. "Do you honestly think that someone is going to get the drop on me? It's not like there are American werewolves just hanging out in Europe waiting to blind me. Even if there were, it's not like I can't take care of myself. Besides, on the off chance that Bella is along willingly she's more likely to let me talk to her!"

"Carlisle, think about this." Edward turned his head to our patriarch who had obviously been hashing the situation out in his own mind. Then, I caught it. It was infinitesimal, a slight break in his demeanor. Edward was changing the future and my argument with Jasper by forcing Carlisle to take sides.

_Leave it to you to try to fool the empath._

"You know that I have, Edward," Carlisle reasoned.

"No!" Jasper growled and turned his chair over when he flew to his feet. He'd reached his limit. He was willing to allow me to hash things out with Edward but when Carlisle took my side it was a different story. "Alice! No! You can't do that!" I was in Jaspers arms and in the hallway, away from everyone else, in a flash.

"It's the tactically responsible decision," I reminded him.

"No."

"Yes." I raised an eyebrow.

"I won't let you." Jasper pushed me into the wall with the palm of his hand on my chest. I noticed that it rose and fell rapidly before I realized that I was breathing heavily.

"This won't be like the last fight," I crooned softly, trying to bring him back to me from the dark corner of his mind where he saw this trip as a risk. "If there's any danger Bella will be there. Do you think for a moment that she'd allow someone to harm me?" It was a lie. The possibility that an ambush without Bella's presence was equally likely, but I was confident that nothing would happen.

Jasper looked away from me. I reached up and flattened my palm against his cheek. I pushed his face so that his eyes were once again focused on mine.

"Jasper Whitlock, I love you, and nothing is going to keep me away from you." I smoothed his hair back from his face and focused on him. "Besides, you're completely overreacting. I don't see anything coming at me. I'm safe. No one is going to hurt me."

"Alice-"

"No, Jasper, it's the right thing to do. There's nothing for you to worry about. Any or all of these seven locations could result in an ambush. There's no reason for me not to take Russia," I quietly spoke to him and stroked his face with my other hand.

"It's a risk," he insisted.

"Everything is a risk," I whispered. "Carlisle agrees with me and I'm going."

"You're not-"

"Don't argue with the psychic, darling. Picking a losing battle doesn't become you."

"Do I lose?" He sighed.

"I'm still going." I nodded.

Jasper crumbled and leaned his forehead down to mine. He pulled in a deep breath and shook slightly.

"I'm not Bella," I told him."Remember, you don't have to worry about me. I can take care of myself."

"This time, Bella could too." He didn't move. "She was perfectly capable of taking care of herself."

"I'm not that selfless." I smiled. "I'm not going to give anyone a chance to keep me from you. There is nothing more important in the world than that."

"Don't lie to the empath, it doesn't become you," he laughed darkly. "You are that selfless. Promise me and don't lie."

"I can't promise," I shook my head. "But I'll do everything I can."

He leaned in and gave me a gentle kiss.

"We have to go," I hummed against his lips.

"We have a few minutes." He ran a hand up my side and I sighed heavily.

"There's no time for that!" Edward shouted.

Jasper growled in frustration.

"He's right," I breathed.

"I know." Jasper buried his head into my shoulder.

"Jasper, we need you to call for documents," Esme pleaded.

Jasper gave me an accusatory look.

"Don't look at me like that. You're the one who decided to take over dealing with Jenks and his associates," I responded.

He gave up and walked back to the kitchen. I gave his rear a little swat on the way and he jumped.

"Do we have enough time to get this done?" Carlisle asked.

"No problem, Jenks' New York associate is fast, efficient, and moves us to the front of the line," Jasper explained. He cracked a smile and pulled out his phone.

"We're set, let's get this show on the road," Emmett boomed.

I gave Jasper a smile and stepped out of the room to make what little preparation we needed to in order to fly out. Edward's shoulders slumped as he walked out of the kitchen next to me. I wrapped an arm around him and pulled him into a half-hug. I could feel the tension is his shoulders ease slightly.

"She's fine. You saw her as well as I did," I reminded him.

"Alice, she may have said that she wasn't hurt but she's not fine, not even by her broad definition of the term," he huffed and slipped away from me up to his room. I followed him up but stopped at my own door rather than continuing on to his. I spared his door one glance as it nearly slammed off the hinges and entered my room.

I knew that he was right. There was nothing about this situation that was fine. Bella was coerced and hurting and there had to be a reason why. Why would Bella allow herself to be kidnapped? Why would she cooperate with all of this cloak and dagger nonsense, and why hadn't she told someone what was happening?

I opened up the closed and shoved a few things into my bag before starting one for Jasper. I looked forward and could see that timing would be tight for me to make my flight. Rosalie had managed to get me on one that barely allowed me to make the same connection to Russia that Bella booked. If she was there, then we'd be on the same flight to Moscow.

I scanned forward from there so that I could reassure Edward and Jazz before we left. There would be no violence within the next twenty-four hours. I still couldn't see Bella. I changed my shoes and clothes, opting for something that a human would consider comfortable to wear while traveling. When I finished, Jasper met me at the bottom of the stairs.

"No long faces," I reminded him and smiled. "We're all going to be safe for at least the next twenty to twenty-four hours. I can't see her but I can see all of us. There's not an ambush waiting for anyone."

He leaned his head down to mine again and we unconsciously nuzzled each other. The separation wouldn't be for long and it wouldn't be so bad. As soon as one of us picked up her scent we would all be back together, twenty hours at the most. It was doable.

"You're very determined," he hummed.

"You should be too," I jokingly reprimanded him and tugged slightly on the collar of his jacket. I heard Edward on the stairs behind me and backed away from Jasper to save some awkwardness. Seeing us together like that would put that defeated look on his face. Jasper nodded, he had heard Edward as well.

"How is he?" I whispered.

"Better, less macabre; he's ready to start looking."

Jasper took my hand in his and led me to the jeep. We slid in behind Rosalie and Emmett leaving the Mercedes for Carlisle, Esme, and Edward. Rosalie drove us into New York. We slipped by Alexander Duncan's office on the way. He was Jenks' associate in New York. I'd met him once before and had been unimpressed. Jasper insisted that the documents were top notch and that Duncan was sufficiently intimidated by him, ensuring that our orders would always be ready within a few hours as opposed to Jenks' turnaround time which could be weeks. Duncan employed more practiced hands and owned better equipment.

Jasper was the only one who left either vehicle. I drummed my nails on the door and Emmett fidgeted with the radio. Rose fluffed her hair before tying it back. I really wanted long hair. Rose hardly ever let me play with hers and Bella was Bella.

"I think that we should check the gates for each of those flights before we go," Emmett interrupted my pointless musing. "Maybe all of her tracks aren't covered and we can narrow it down to just one location."

"It can't hurt." I shrugged and check the future. "That decision doesn't change anything but it's worth a shot." I gave a weak smile and directed my attention out the window at Jasper's form exiting the building. He passed three folders into the passenger window on the Mercedes before heading to our car. The rest of the drive was silent.

* * *

**End note:**

**Reviews = love**

**I've been asked if I'm going to switch to Bella's POV and the answer is, "no." Not until the story has run its course. Her POV would just reveal too much and kill the whole mystery aspect. I do have it mapped out.**

**Some of the gals over on Ravelry are hosting a little contest called "With a Burning Heart." It's anonymous judging and voting and revolves around the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic games. I'm planning on entering. The deadline is my birthday, February 7****th****. I'll have more info later.**


	5. Brown Haired Girl

**A/N:**

**We're back! Thank you to **_**edward-bella-harry-ginny**_** for leaving this chapter better than I sent it to her. You're awesome, babe.**

**Additional thanks to **_**LadyRip**_** for letting me bounce ideas off of her this time around.**

**As always Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.  
**

**Happy reader appreciation day! I know that it's been a while since I've updated, I blame contests and that chest cold that I couldn't shake. Enjoy!**

**Music:**

"**She's Dead" White Hassle (Don't Panic about the title, I just wrote the beginning of the chapter while listening to it.)**

"**Swallowed" June**

* * *

"I think that she knew this was going to happen," Jasper murmured, while he rubbed his thumb along the back of my hand.

"Well, of course she did, a lot of planning had to have gone into fooling all of us," I said.

"It's not just that, Alice." He shook his head. "She was way too interested in play fighting with me and Emmett. Darlin', I think..." He trailed off for a second. "I think that she was training; not just for fun or for some eventuality, but for this, right now."

"'Makes sense," Emmett grumbled. "She certainly worked hard at beating my butt across the backyard."

It was then that I thought about it. Bella had always been the one to initiate 'training sessions' with the boys. There was one in particular that stood out

_Bella looked back at the house from the driveway with a smirk on her face. It was clear that Emmett was about to pay for his cockiness. Edward tensed next to me and I laid a hand on his arm. I pulled in a deep breath and looked to the future. I tried to show him that there was nothing to worry about. _

_Edward nodded but remained tense as Emmett stepped forward and faced Bella. Edward interrupted to insist that they fight with rules, to which both parties scoffed. The two touched fists like boxers. Jasper stood a little off to the side to referee. _

"_Don't worry Edward, I won't damage her permanently," Emmett called._

"_Rose?" Bella asked with a smile._

"_Just take him down Bella!" Rose yelled her reply._

"_Babe!" Emmett dropped his hands in shock and stared slack-jawed at his wife._

"_Sorry baby, but I don't bet against Alice and Bella is tougher than you think," she explained._

"_Still, some loyalty?" Emmett whined._

"_All's fair in love and war, big brother." Bella was still grinning mischievously as she bated him. She knew from experience that if she pushed him that he wouldn't fight intelligently and she'd be able to take him down quickly._

"_Ready?" Jasper called. He'd had enough watching Bella and Emmett talk trash and was ready to get back to training. The only way to get there was to let them fight it out. _

"_Ready to be embarrassed?" Bella quipped._

"_Ready to go down, princess?" Emmett raised an eyebrow._

"_Oh Cupcake, you've got that wrong."_

"_Bring it!"_

"_Go!" Jasper called. _

_Emmett sunk into a crouch and lunged for Bella. She took two steps crossing one leg over the other and dodged him. As soon as he'd passed she turned and planted a foot in his posterior. He fell to the ground and rolled over as she planted her feet on either side of his torso to prevent further movement. She smirked triumphantly; Emmett had done exactly what she anticipated thus far. I noted the grin and nodded to Edward. It was precisely what I had shown him. Emmett grabbed Bella's legs and shifted to one side swiftly. _

_As she went down, Bella twisted and her teeth met with Emmett's neck. It was a slightly different outcome from my vision because she managed to land on top of him with a knee in his chest. Perhaps it was due to the way that Emmett grabbed her legs rather than merely sifting. Maybe Bella opted for the more aggressive pose as he flipped her. However, Bella still won. Her teeth met flesh just enough for Emmett to wince but not to cause damage. _

"_Well done, Bella." Jasper reached down to offer her a hand. His eyes shone with pride. Bella seemed to be learning fast, and she was exceptionally driven. Jasper was having fun with the new, unbreakable Bella. He turned his smile to me and nodded his head slightly at our brother. Edward anxiously dashed to Bella's side and wrapped an arm around her waist. She looked up at him a bit pensively before smiling. Bella leaned her head onto his shoulder and deposited a small kiss there. Edward finally relaxed. They were the picture of contentment. _

"_Come on Jasper, she cheated," Emmett protested._

"_No Emmett, she bated you and you fell for it," Jasper explained. "If you'd keep your cool then you might have a shot. It's not like she has martial arts training."_

"_Um, actually," Bella chimed, "Renee dragged me to Tae Kwon Do twice a week during college. I'm a blue belt."_

"_That explains a few things." Jasper nodded and turned his attention to Edward who was staring at Bella in askance. They still weren't actually talking and there were so many things that we didn't know had happened in our absence. This Tae Kwon Do thing was yet another instance of something that she hadn't shared with us. _

"_Edward?" Jasper pulled our brother's attention away from his bride. "Would you mind training with Bella for a few minutes?"_

_Edward glared at Jasper. Jasper cocked his head to the side slightly and Edward shook his head._

"_Okay… Alice, would you train with Bella while I get Emmett to focus again?"_

_I raised an eyebrow but agreed. Edward really could be a wuss sometimes when it came to Bella. He would fight Rosalie or me but even play fighting with Bella was off limits. He couldn't bring himself to do it even in light of the fact that she held a blue belt. I shook my head at him and turned to face Bella. _

"_Would you ref for us then, Edward?" I asked politely. You know that you're an idiot, right?_

"_Sure Alice," he sneered and released Bella. He took a position a few feet away from us._

"_This hardly seems fair," Bella muttered._

"_Oh Bella, you don't know what you're getting yourself into," I responded. "I've been sparring with Jasper since before we found our way to the Cullens."_

"_Ready?" Edward asked. We both nodded and he stepped back a few feet before calling out, "go!"_

_I watched Bella intently. She didn't try to manipulate me like she had with Emmett. Instead, it appeared that she was testing to see if I was watching the future; I was. She decided to step left and I met her there. She threw a punch and I dodged with a ginger step to the left before tagging her in the ribs. Bella grunted and tried to catch my hand but I was a bit too fast for her. _

_Then she smiled at me. The future went blank for a second but then shimmered. Trying to see her next move was like looking through flawed glass or murky water. It was there, but I couldn't see it clearly. Then, before I could strike her shoulder I felt resistance. I cocked my head at Bella and tried again, a little faster and found myself wrapped in Bella's arms with her nose grazing my neck._

"_How?" I asked her incredulously._

"_That was odd, huh?" She shook a bit as she released me._

"_What happened, Alice? How did Bella whoop up on you, darlin'?" Jasper's voice sounded from behind us. He glanced between the two of us. "What did I miss?"_

"_Bella?" Edward stepped toward his wife carefully. "What's going on?"_

_She didn't respond._

_"Bella, what was that?" He demanded._

"_I don't know, okay," she snapped and stormed off into the house. _

As I sat in the back of the Jeep, it became very clear to me that Bella was more prepared than any of us had considered. Bella had been getting ready for a fight and she knew that she might be alone.

Determination settled into all of us as we pulled into long term parking at the airport. We stayed under the breezeway to avoid being caught by the failing evening sun and filed into the airport. Edward's head perked up slightly and I caught t a faint whiff of Bella's scent. It was hours old but he visibly relaxed. Knowing that she'd been here at the airport entrance offered him the tiniest amount of comfort. I patted his shoulder and ushered him to a kiosk to redeem our E-tickets.

I exchanged a glance with Jasper. Airports made him tense. It had nothing to do with a fear of flying or a lack of control on his part. Airports were hot beds of stress and emotion. People's emotions were on such highs and lows that it was sometimes stressful for him to deal with them. His automatic impulse was to release calm over the area but that wouldn't exactly be ethical, and someone might notice if the entire airport started smiling placidly. Edward was making things a bit worse. He was on edge as well. In his concern over Bella he wasn't working as hard as he normally would to block out the thoughts of those around him. His emotional state was worse than the people around us, and affected Jasper more than anyone else's.

"Emmett thinks, and we agree, that we should check the gates Bella's flights departed from to make sure that she's actually been near them," Rosalie crossed her arms and suggested in a whisper. It was odd to see her seem so unsure of herself. Carlisle nodded and was on his blackberry before she finished. Within moments he had the list.

We filed into the queue for TSA and submitted ourselves to more than the usual security check since our tickets had just been purchased. Rosalie emitted a low growl at the agent who needlessly frisked her. Emmett smirked and she turned her glare to him. He blew a kiss at her and marched down to the concourse as soon as he was finished and rushed to check his gate for signs that Bella had been there.

I squeezed Jasper's hand and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. We had made our way through security and it was time to part ways. I was headed to the international concourse and his flight was domestic.

"Be safe," I whispered.

"Come back to me, darlin'." He gave me a reassuring smile and we pulled away from each other. My hand twitched back toward him as I walked away but through sheer force of will I made my way to my assigned gate. I followed Bella's scent directly there.

I sent a message out to everyone. She had to have flown to Russia. But then I caught a glimpse of Rosalie and Emmett across the building.

I should have known that it wouldn't be simple. Things were never simple. There had been a half dozen other vampires in LaGuardia airport that day. Their scents intermingled with Bella's. So, we couldn't discover who her captor was, in addition, as I was alerted by several messages in my inbox: Bella's scent could be traced strongly and directly to all seven gates.

I growled in frustration and tried to find her with my gift again. The faint shimmer was still there. At that moment, I could have killed her. Was it really too much to ask for her to make things just a bit simpler? In truth, I knew that it was ridiculous to blame her. She had likely been forced into this situation. However, on an emotional level, I was fit to be tied.

I nodded to Rose, confirming that Bella had been to the gate on this end as well. Her face fell and I typed the message into my phone to send to the rest of the family. There was no way around splitting up.

My flight was the first to depart. So, I was spared waiting at the airport in favor of waiting on the plane. I texted Jasper and Edward before take off, and asked them both to be cautious. A feeling of foreboding sunk into my bones over the Atlantic. I couldn't put my finger on what was wrong.

I kept tabs on the constant low burn in my throat. Air filters did nothing to remove the scent of blood from the recycled air. It smelled stagnant but still tempting from the continuous infusion of the smell of humans.

I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep in order to avoid being offered the in-flight meal. Denying food on a nearly eight-hour flight would be suspicious. Most of the other passengers had chosen to sleep. I focused on the future. Edward's flight was short. He would arrive in Jacksonville while everyone else was still in the air even though he boarded his plane last. His future remained solid. So, Bella most likely wasn't waiting for him there. I had known that it wouldn't be easy but I hoped that he would find her watching her mother's house or at the kitchen table there, even though contact was forbidden. Edward rented a car and drove to Renee's house to check.

Jasper's flight to Seattle had been delayed. He would arrive not long before I landed in Germany. Oddly, I couldn't see much beyond that. I allowed myself to think that perhaps he would find Bella holed up in the house outside of Forks or on the Indian Reservation with the dogs. It was a long shot and horribly unlikely that she would be there.

Carlisle's arrival in London would be uneventful. I found it odd that I saw all four of us searching for Bella at our respective airports. Why would we search? We should be able to tell immediately whether or not she'd been in the airport. In my case, she would still be in the airport waiting on a flight to Moscow since I was technically assigned the seat next to her going there.

I abandoned Carlisle's future and caught a blur of brown hair. She had to be in Germany. I was right to have insisted on taking Moscow. Now all I had to do was convince her to come home. I spent the rest of the flight trying to find the right words that would cement that flash of brown into an image of Bella coming with me. Try as I might, I couldn't get the shimmering image of Bella to form into a solid prediction of her on a plane heading back to the U.S. I growled in frustration as we landed, which caused the balding man next to me to jump in his seat and turn his fear filled eyes to me.

"Sorry," I mumbled. He turned away and went back to nervously gripping his armrests.

My feet tapped nervously while we taxied to the gate. I started drumming my fingers. The plane moved too slowly. It seemed like the ground crew was intentionally taking their sweet time in getting us to our destination. I needed to be in that airport and I needed to be there hours ago. There was no way that I was going to let Bella walk away from me. No matter what, I would be with her from the moment I found her until she was home or this was resolved.

I was the first to disembark. I forced myself to move at a human pace from the plane into the airport. I caught her scent at the gate and followed it. A smile spread across my face when I saw the curtain of brown hair sitting at the gate for the flight to Moscow.

It was her.

It had to be her.

Except for one thing.

She was eating a sandwich.

_Crap. Crappity. Crap. Crap. Crap. _

Not Bella.

But she smelled like Bella, and her hair was almost suspiciously similar down to the slight red cast that certain strands picked up in the light. I still hadn't looked at her face. Perhaps she'd been unable to refuse a sandwich from someone and planned on purging it later. There was no one else watching her. So, there was no reason to continue eating. I got within a few feet of her and heard the distinct beat of a heart in her chest.

That may have been Bella's scent. Those may have been Bella's clothes. However, this was not Bella. This was a red herring and perhaps a trap. I drew in a deep breath and tried to pick up the scent of another vampire. I found none, but I realized that her scent wasn't as concentrated as it should be. It was far too faint for Bella to be so close.

I glanced around and caught a few men looking at me but none of them stared with anything but lust in their eyes. If this was a trap, then it was very well planned and set. I unclenched the fists that had formed at my sides and approached the girl. She'd obviously had contact with Bella recently to smell like her and be in the right place at the right time.

"Bella," I gently called when I approached. The girl turned and I was shocked by her resemblance to my sister. She shared the same heart shaped face and slightly uneven lips. Her eyes were a coffee brown. Although, I noted that she was slightly plump whereas Bella had always been slim.

"Alice?" Her eyes narrowed a bit and her brow furrowed as she studied me. She cocked her head to the side. She wasn't sure who I was but someone had obviously told her to expect me.

"Yes." I took the seat across from hers and leaned forward with my elbows on my knees.

"Good, she thought that it would be you who came to me." The girl seemed relieved. I idly wondered how old she was. "Bella tried to make sure that Jasper went to Seattle," she explained.

"Why would Jasper need to be in Seattle?" I asked.

"She didn't tell me." Non-Bella's face turned into a grimace. "We didn't have long. She was afraid of Mr. Johnson." She paused, "she said that if he caught us ... "

"What's your name?"

"Marsi," she replied.

"Are you here alone, Marsi?"

"I think so. Mr Johnson was going to follow the real Bella." She seemed nervous. "He was very frightening. Bella was concerned for my safety, but I drew Moscow. So, it had to be me."

"What had to be you?" I raised an eyebrow and she looked down at her hands. She fidgeted with her fingers for a moment before reaching across the aisle to hand me something. As the metal dropped into my hand, I recognized it. It was Bella's engagement ring. "Why?"

It didn't make sense. My face fell and I fought a wave of panic. Was Bella _leaving_ leaving Edward?

"It's not what you think," Marsi rushed to explain. "She knew that she'd be in danger so she's wearing a replica. She wanted the real one to be safe."

I couldn't look up from the ring in my hand. I slipped it onto my pointer finger.

"Alice, she said that she loves all of you no matter how this situation may look. She needed to make sure that Edward didn't follow her. Bella felt like she couldn't trust him to hold his temper. There is some very real danger ahead and you need to tread lightly," she whispered. "That's all she told me."

I lifted my eyes to meet hers and was reminded of a very young, very brave Bella. The girl before me resembled that seventeen year old that I met what felt like a lifetime ago. She was brave and innocent and honestly believed that she could force fate to work in her favor by manipulating the pieces on her own. Had Bella learned nothing?

"So, what happens to you, Marsi?"

"I'm getting a free vacation to Moscow, and a very hefty sum deposited into my bank account." I noticed that she didn't smile. "It sounded like a good deal until I met Bella. This whole thing is fishy and if I could have backed out, I would have, but Mr. Johnson threatened the lives of another girl's family when he tried to leave. I have a little sister at home and she's all I have left." Marsi's eyes pricked with tears. "I wish that there was more that I could do."

"You can," I sighed. I couldn't loose this opportunity to get more information. "What does Mr. Johnson look like and how did he hire you?"

"He's a little over six feet tall, broad, and blonde," she described him but it was to vague for me to be able to identify him. Mr. Johnson could be any number of men by that description, including Andrew. "He hired us all though a talent agency. There are eight of us. Two traveled with him and Bella. He held a call last week and picked those of us who bore a resemblance to Bella. We were given clothes when we showed up at the airport and told to change."

"So, there's at least one of you on each flight, and you're all wearing her clothes," I verified. Marsi nodded. I gave her an appraising look and decided that I'd gotten all of the information that I could. From there, I needed to come up with a plan. "Thank you, Marsi. Enjoy Moscow."

The girl grabbed my hand before I could leave.

"Don't underestimate Mr. Johnson," she warned me before releasing my hand.

"We won't," I assured her and moved away. I walked down to a less crowded area and turned on my cell phone. There were no messages, but I hadn't expected to find any. I took a moment to search for Jasper and found him still at Sea-Tac. I decided to call him before doing anything else.

"Hey darlin'" Jasper's voice dipped low and I wondered exactly how many decades it would take me to get over him calling me 'darlin.' However, I had business to attend to ...

"I thought that she was here when I got off the plane-" I started but Jasper quickly jumped in.

"That can't be right, Alice, because she's here."

"You've seen her?" I leaned forward in my chair.

"No, but I can smell her. She's rented a car. I was about to rent one myself and check the house," he explained.

"Are you sure, Jazz? I thought that I could smell her here, but I found a decoy." I could hear the slight whine creep into my voice and tried to tamp it down.

"Well, that would explain why she was on all of the flights, but not the scent."

"She was wearing Bella's clothes."

"Oh, that isn't good." I could hear him grimace and scratch his head.

"There's more, she has officially been kidnapped by a Mr. Johnson who hired the decoys and is paying them. There are two more with her wherever she happens to be at the moment," I sighed.

"More subterfuge," Jasper sighed back.

"There's more," I whispered and fiddled with the engagement ring on my finger. "Bella sent her engagement ring with this one for safe keeping, because she was sure that I would be here-"

"HER RING!" He roared.

"Jazz-"

"What the hell?"

"Jasper?"

"How are we supposed to control Edward now? If she's left him, he'll be up here in a flash begging Sam to rip him apart, and Sam might just do it."

"Are you done?" I raised an eyebrow, fully realizing that he couldn't see it but he would hear my tone.

"There's more?" He went quiet.

"Bella wanted to make sure that the real ring was safe. She's wearing a fake, and sent the message that she loves us."

"What do we do now?" He paused. "I swear, she's been here, Alice. The trail is too strong."

"What do you want to do?" I asked.

"I'm going to follow it. Can you call Edward and Carlisle to see if there's a trail where they are?"

"Yeah," I agreed.

"Alice, how strong was the trail in Germany?"

"Honestly, pretty weak. Maybe she is there," I conceded.

"We've got a little time before everyone else lands. I'm going to follow my gut and check this out."

"Jasper -"

"Yes, darlin'?"

"Be careful."

"I always am darlin', always," he breathed.

"I'm watching you," I warned.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," he chuckled.

"I love you."

"I love you, too. Now, get to work," he ordered.

"Yes, sir!" I waited for him to hang up the phone before hanging up.

My conversation with Carlisle was short. The scent in London was faint. He followed it out of the airport and was insistent that he needed to find the human on the other end of the trail. Explained the situation and he advised me not to tell Edward about the ring when I called. I agreed and hung up to make the more difficult of the two calls.

"Yes," Edward answered.

"Do you smell her there?" I asked.

"Yes, but no one has seen her. I've spent three hours scanning the minds of everyone in the airport and the best I can get is a brown haired woman who could be Bella but obviously isn't her. I went to her mother's house but there's no trail there. So, I'm back at the airport," he growled in frustration.

"She's a decoy in Bella's clothes. My trail was weak, too. However, the decoy was still here and I questioned her." I could hear anticipation in Edward's silence. "Bella told her to tell me that she loves us and to be careful because it's dangerous. Bella is with a 'Mr. Johnson' but the description I got could really be anyone. That's probably our vampire."

"I agree." Edward's voice was acid.

"Carlisle has a faint trail in London that he's checking, but Jasper is certain that Bella is in Seattle. His trail is strong and he's going to check the house for her."

"I'm booking a flight now." I could hear his feet click on the tile floor.

"Edward, just wait a minute," I cautioned.

"What?! I'm not going to stay here in Florida and be absolutely useless. ** I. Am. Getting. On. The. Next. Flight. To. Seattle.**"

"That's probably why she didn't tell us," I murmured.

"What?!" The sound of his feet stopped.

"You! You're jumping in head first without knowing what's going on. A little caution would be appreciated, Edward."

"Hang on, Alice," he spoke softly. I heard him rifling through something. "I found where the scent was coming from."

"Where?" I wasn't amused by the fact that he had stopped an important conversation, but also eager to find out if he found a clue.

"Alice, it's one of my shirts. The one you hate, that Bella wears around the house," he pulled in a deep breath and I knew that he was smelling it. Bella knew us too well. She had apparently figured out where each of us would go. I wondered if there were messages for the others.

"You seem calmer now," I commented.

"I am, but I'm still booking a flight. Meet me there?" Edward sounded hopeful.

"Yeah, I'll get there. Don't do anything stupid in the meantime." I hung up and made my way to the nearest counter to buy a ticket back to the states.

I was watching Jasper's future when it suddenly went black. I panicked and started dialing the phone. He didn't pick it up. I checked the rest of the family and Carlisle winked out, too. A knot formed in the pit of my stomach. My fingers slid over the touch screen on my phone to contact Carlisle.

"Alice," he answered.

"Carlisle, what's going on?"

"I'm on the phone with Sam Uley, can I call you back?"

* * *

**End note:**

**So… on the contest front. Today, the 28****th****, is the last day to vote for your favorite piece in the With a Burning Heart Contest. I have a story there but it's anonymous so I can't tell you which one is mine.**

**In addition, **_**Aleighy**_** talked me into writing an M-rated outtake to The TA / The Search. It's not essential to the plot and you already have any details revealed in the outtake if you've been reviewing since you should have received a Bella POV outtake. However, for those of you who begged me at the end of The TA to give you a lemon, **_**Aleighy**_** has decided to post it on her profile with my permission. For those of you who are of age, and not morally opposed, you may search for it. I know that I'm not making this easy, but I don't want anyone to stumble on an M-rated, racy outtake to a T-rated fic. **


	6. Old Blood

**A/n Once again, sorry for the delay. I have a lot of unexpected stuff going on IRL just now. **

**Beta'd by ebhg. **

Music: Seether feat. Amy Lee, Broken

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I booked the next flight back to the states without regard to where it was going. As long as I could get a connection to Seattle, I didn't care. Fortunately, it was bound for New York. I knew that the dogs would complicate things eventually but I hadn't expected it to happen this quickly. Jasper was missing from my visions, Carlisle was on the phone with Sam Uley, and Bella's future still shimmered mockingly at me. There's only so much a psychic vampire can be expected to take.

I e-mailed Carlisle before getting on my flight. There was no way that I was going to wait another second before getting to Jasper. Being apart from him was okay so long as I could still see him but without the aid of my gift, I couldn't bear it any longer. I boarded my flight much to the confusion of the gate agent, who had been one of the ones who'd seen me disembark earlier. I'm sure that the fact that I was going directly back to the U.S. without leaving the airport was a shock.

"Edward?" I dialed his number on my way down the jet way. He answered on the first ring.

"Tell me you have something, Alice." Edward was still on edge.

"Not really, Edward," I sighed. Had I been able to call anyone else it would have been easier but he was the only one available. I knew that his flight wouldn't leave for a couple of hours. "I need a flight from JFK to Sea-Tac in about eight hours."

"What's wrong Alice?" His voice sounded impossibly tighter.

"It's nothing really but Jasper has winked out of my visions and Carlisle is currently talking to Sam Uley. I can only assume that the two are connected but I won't be able to relax until I can see him again," I explained.

"I know exactly how you feel," he huffed.

"I wish that finding Bella was as simple." I attempted to soothe him.

"I know you're doing the best you can. I'm sorry that I'm so moody. I just – Alice, I can't lose her … not ever again," he apologized and I felt bad for calling him.

"We will find her," I said. "She wants to be found."

"Just keep reminding me." I could hear his fingers clicking on a keyboard. He must have turned on his netbook. "I found a flight about nine hours from now. Are you going to be okay? You haven't hunted in a few days and this sets you up for nearly twenty-two consecutive hours of air travel."

"I can still see my own future, Edward," I chided. "If I couldn't do it, I would go take care of that right now."

"I just wanted to make sure. We don't have time for mistakes," he explained. "I'm going to go to the ticket counter and see if I can get you on this flight. It's supposed to be full. I'll e-mail you the details, okay?"

"Okay." I blew out a pointless breath and leaned my head back on the headrest.

"I'll talk to you when you land." His voice was fading a bit like the phone was moving away from his head.

"Edward, wait!" I shouted and a middle-aged lady walking down the aisle stopped to stare at me.

"Yes, Alice?"

"Thank you, and I'm sorry that we haven't found her yet."

"It's fine, I understand. I'll see you in Seattle." He hung up.

_I am a terrible sister._

There I was sitting on an airplane heading to where I knew Jasper would be, needlessly panicking because I couldn't see him. He had to be with one of the werewolves, it was the only possibility that made sense but I worried. It seemed really stupid and selfish given the fact that my sister, the newborn vampire, had been kidnapped. My brother was distraught in her absence and I couldn't tell him where she was.

_Worst sister ever._

It was different when my own mate went missing. I was going to have to remember to be more sympathetic toward Edward's plight. He had to be on the verge of killing himself with worry. Granted, Bella was no longer human and being a newborn vampire, she was nigh unbreakable, but that wouldn't matter to Edward. It wouldn't ease his fears the way it had for Jasper and myself.

Jasper and I were confident that Bella could handle herself. We'd both fought her. I'd actually stopped holding back with her, and I knew that Jasper had as well. She was intelligent and resourceful. Edward knew that as well as we did. He just didn't want to let her go. They'd had too many close shaves and he was used to being protective of her.

I really did need to cut him some slack.

However, his penchant for the overdramatic wasn't helping matters. If I had been unable to assure him that she was indeed alive, then he probably would have already pictured her as a pile of smoldering ashes and run to the Volturi. I felt a slight chill at the name. It was extraordinarily lucky that we'd flown under their radar for so long. Aro would probably salivate at the thought of our little family. The chill continued to slip up my spine. I shook it off.

My flight back to the States was long and boring; they showed the same stupid movie that I couldn't help but overhear while on the flight over. I closed my eyes and envisioned Carlisle meeting me at JFK. He'd fly into LaGuardia after receiving my e-mail and a panicked phone call from Edward, and then he would run over on the rooftops to avoid traffic. I caught some of Edward's stress-laden words from the phone call. He was worried about my control. I growled a bit under my breath.

I spent the rest of the trip stewing. Fortunately, the passengers and the flight crew were entirely different from my first flight – I could pretend to sleep, again. Unfortunately, my control _was_ tested. There was a man at the back of the plane with a paper-cut and a little girl with curly blonde pigtails three rows back with a skinned knee. Whenever the child kicked the seat in front of her the scab broke open. She kicked it often.

It took practically no time for irritability to sink in. I was a ravenous monster in an enclosed space filled with the rarest, most precious meal. I tapped my fingers incessantly when no one was looking and focused on any little detail that could distract me. I started checking the futures of my fellow passengers to ensure their safety. I had to force myself to think of them as people.

"Fish are friends, not food …" The little girl was watching _Finding Nemo_ on her mother's laptop. I suppressed a giggle. Bruce the shark and I were both having a difficult day.

_Hang in there, Bruce._

We couldn't land quickly enough. I was tempted to yank the door off of the plane and run as soon as our wheels touched the tarmac. It was like the smell intensified the closer I got to freedom.

Once again, I was first off the plane. I pulled in a deep breath of air in the jet-way and felt the burn in my throat dissipate to be replaced with the sharp metallic tang of exhaust and jet fuel. Comparatively, it was heaven.

As predicted, Carlisle was seated in front of my gate reading the New York Times. He'd had to book it across town and through the airport in order to make it there. However, Carlisle looked completely relaxed and undisturbed. His crisp oxford shirt and cream-colored cardigan were pristine. He'd loosened his tie to appear more human. Just looking at him eased my fears about Jasper. If anything had been wrong, Carlisle would have been more concerned about my arrival.

I strode over to him and intentionally flopped down into the chair next to him. I caught the slight lift to his cheek but he didn't react otherwise. It would take another 23 seconds for him to fold the paper and turn to me. I whistled the Jeopardy theme until he interrupted me in mock annoyance.

"Really, Alice?"

"Yes, Carlisle?" I smiled at him.

"You and Edward are much too rash," he commented.

"It tends to happen when one's mate disappears," I said and picked at an invisible piece of lint on my sweater.

"Well, the two of you need to step back and look at things logically," he said.

"You and I know that if it were Esme, you would abandon logic, too." I really hoped that he didn't call my bluff because I was pretty sure that my statement wasn't true. Carlisle was ruled by logic. He merely glanced at me in response. "Can I help it that we were both turned as teenagers? It tends to make one slightly impulsive and a bit dramatic for eternity."

"If you'd waited for me to contact you, then you'd have been able to hunt. An hour or so delay wouldn't have significantly impacted matters." He challenged me with a raised eyebrow. "I assume that you've held your breath for the past three hours and that it was you whom I heard sucking all of the air out of the jet-way as soon as the door to the plane opened?"

I hung my head and nodded.

"It was unnecessary. Jasper is alive, and well, and entertaining werewolves in Forks."

"Remind me to stock up on body wash again," I muttered.

"Alice," Carlisle warned.

"I figured that the mongrels were involved." I caught Carlisle's pointed look. "I don't like being blind," I huffed. Carlisle turned to me and nodded in complete understanding. The entire situation made me feel helpless and he knew that I was acting out like a petulant child, and I knew it. The subject was dropped.

"I've already checked us in. Care to sneak out and find a butcher's shop before we take off?" I shot him an incredulous look. "Your eyes are nearly black and although I don't doubt my ability to physically restrain you, I'd prefer not to have to hold you down for the next six and a half hours."

"Fine," I agreed. The butcher's shop method of emergency blood supply wasn't my favorite. The blood was far from fresh and generally consisted of the dregs leftover from several animals. However, our choices were the zoo, finding a random raccoon or dog near a dumpster, or that. The zoo would most certainly notice the missing animals, and scavenger animals could be difficult to sneak up on. I had to admit that I secretly hoped Carlisle would compromise just this once and smuggle a bag or two from the blood bank.

Carlisle and I made an honest effort at finding a scavenger in the city first. Two raccoons and a couple of rats between the two of us wasn't a large enough meal. We were forced to break into an ethnic market that specialized in fresh meat. It was fowl, which is just foul. In my opinion, the only bird worth draining even in a pinch is a Vulture, and even those are nasty. We found some slightly older blood that belonged to an omnivorous creature. I really didn't want to think about what kind of meat the market was selling, as this was the city and they definitely didn't have a farm out back.

My eyes were gold when we settled into our seats on our final flight for the day. I fought nausea from the tang of old blood on my tongue. I wished that toothpaste wasn't so repulsive.

This flight was easier. Carlisle and I conversed about a medical journal for some time before he cocked his head slightly to the side, causing me to do the same.

"I think it's time for a nap," I whispered and closed my eyes. I heard a flight attendant maneuvering her cart out of the kitchen. He promptly followed my lead.

I kept him updated on the remaining hours of Esme's flight and her quick search of the Hong Kong airport. She wouldn't turn on her phone and collect messages until after she'd looked around. I whispered the details to him, barely moving my lips and speaking too softly for human ears. Esme nodded at her phone and booked a flight to Seattle. She managed to catch the connection to Port Angeles as well. That would be many hours after we'd arrived though.

Rosalie would land shortly before us and would insist on waiting for Emmett despite the fact that his flight would be delayed for hours by weather. Carlisle and I planned to go ahead of her with Edward. It was very strange watching everyone's future shift in subtle ways until each of us disappeared.

I was looking in so many directions at once that I almost missed it. There would be a minute where Bella's future completely winked out. My eyes popped open and I sat straight up. I searched for a full sixty seconds before finding her shimmering form on the other side of it.

Carlisle's hand rested heavily on my forearm. His brow furrowed before relaxing infinitesimally.

"Bella," I said.

"Is she -?"

"I thought so, but it seems like she changed her mind. She was gone for a minute and I still can't account for it." I eased back into the oddly scented seat.

"But she's alive?" Carlisle patted my hand reassuringly. I nodded and rolled my neck a bit.

We spent the rest of the flight in silence. I listened to the various music stations being played by other passengers. It required some concentration and thus kept me from worrying too much. At some point I caught wind of Jasper's decision to meet us at the airport, which was followed by more blackness. One of the wolves must have decided to go with him.

I could smell Bella on the concourse when we landed. Her scent was definitely stronger in Seattle. She had to have gone to Charlie. Perhaps this was all blown out of proportion? Maybe we'd find her at his house choking down some fish?

My hopes were dashed when we met Jasper and Sam Uley just outside the TSA checkpoint. Sam was visibly upset. He was hiding it behind a mask of masculine bravado but I could see red rimming his eyes. Jasper looked at him and winced slightly before turning to smile at me.

I looked to Carlisle.

"You know as much as I do," he said and continued to walk.

I reached Jasper and my hand slid right into his. We were like puzzle pieces that clicked into each other. I was home. For anyone else this reunion would have entailed much more physical contact but Jasper had never been one for public displays of affection. Just the feel of our hands locked together would have to be enough until we could be alone. He bent down and kissed my cheek. I tried to pull in a whiff of his scent but I couldn't smell him past Sam. I groaned disappointedly and Jasper winked.

"Rosalie's already here but she won't come with us," I told him.

"We should call and offer, anyway." Jasper pulled out his phone and conversed quickly with our sister.

"Sam, are you alright?" I asked.

"There is much to discuss." That was his only explanation. I stifled a growl of frustration before he heard it.

"She hasn't changed her mind," Jasper announced.

"It's always polite to ask," Carlisle said.

"How long until Edward's flight lands?" Jasper turned to me.

"Another thirty-two minutes." I paused. "What's going on here?"

Jasper glanced at Sam. The Native American shook his head.

"It would be better if I told you all at once," Sam said. He hadn't moved. "Let's wait for Edward."

Jasper's hand slid from mine and up my arm to rub soothing circles on my back. I was most certainly borrowing Isle Esme for some alone time when this whole fiasco blew over. Jasper had to be as stressed as I was. At the end, we would all deserve some down time and I planned on taking ours in a secluded location where we could bask in the sunlight and watch our reflections dance across the water – among other things.

We stood there and talked about the weather of all subjects for thirty minutes before I caught a glimpse of Edward walking toward us. He looked disheveled. However, to his credit he was holding it together.

"What's the story?" Without so much as a, 'hello' he sprung the question and looked directly at Sam. His eyes widened. The wolf must have let something slip because Edward began to shake. Jasper reached out with his free hand. He was calming him.

I craned my neck to look up at Sam.

"I forgot about that," he sighed, grimacing at Edward. "Charlie, and Sue Clearwater have gone missing. They were on vacation together and never came back. We checked the cabin that they rented and it doesn't look like they ever arrived."

My heart sank into the pit of my stomach. We'd found out what Mr. Johnson was using as leverage over Bella. Charlie was a very strong bargaining chip. He'd done his research.

Edward nodded grimly at the thought.

_She'd do anything to keep him safe._

He looked up and then down.

_This just got harder, didn't it?_

He repeated the action and suppressed the urge to kick a trashcan across the building.

_We don't have time for complications, _I reminded him.

Edward rolled his eyes.

_I was annoyed that you sent Carlisle, but thank you._

Sam was already guiding us toward the exit. He'd borrowed a rusty minivan that reeked of wet dog from someone. We loaded in and Edward struck up a silent conversation with Carlisle. I could only imagine that it was similar to the one we'd just had. I snuggled into Jasper's side and noted that Sam drove almost as fast as Edward did.

Edward snorted.

Jasper nudged me and I looked up at him. He'd had enough private conversations and obviously wanted to be in on the joke.

"I was comparing Sam's driving to Edward's."

The vehicle instantly slowed.

"That's not a bad thing in this case, Sam," I called forward and caught his smirk in the rearview mirror. I could probably be friends with Sam if he didn't smell so bad and render my ability completely useless.

Edward chuckled again.

_Edward, quit it._

"I can't help it, Alice." He leaned back to speak to me.

"Well, in the very least stop laughing at everything I think. It's rude," I said. It was Jasper's turn to chuckle. Normally it would have been Bella.

Edward's face fell. We'd reached his limit for appearing carefree. Jasper wasn't the only one to sense the shift in mood. The van grew quiet. We each focused our attention anywhere but Edward or Bella and watched the scenery shift from the cityscape to small towns to thick vegetation and back a few times until we reached a house on the edge of La[]Push.

"Sorry, we must go on foot from here." Sam pulled into the driveway and we exited the vehicle. "I borrowed the van and it has to be back in the driveway to pick up the kids from school," he explained.

Sam led us to the forest behind the house and disrobed. I politely looked at Jasper, who was looking at me. The ripping sound of Sam phasing pulled our attention back to him. Edward had a nonverbal exchange with him and turned his attention to the group.

"He's going to take us to Charlie and Sue's house. There was some commotion earlier. He's been human for a long time today and Quil has been handling a situation there for a few hours. He would like us all to remember to stick close and give the younger wolves no excuse to attack us."

At that, Sam took off with Edward behind him. The rest of us followed suite. Sam was faster than most of us, except for Edward who ran in long strides next to him. Jasper and I were still hand in hand as we worked to keep up with them. Carlisle brought up the rear.

It felt good to stretch my legs after so long being cramped up in transport. I had to push hard off of the forest floor in order to make my small strides match Jasper's for length. I practically leapt from foot to foot.

All too soon, a house appeared in the trees. It was a quaint little single story ranch. I was admiring it until a scent crossed our path that caused us all to halt. Jasper hovered with one foot still off the ground. Edward turned in a slow circle and drew the scent in deeply. She had been here.

"How long?" Edward turned to the wolf beside him, who had also stopped.

The two regarded each other. Information was being passed between them.

"When did Quil get here then?" Edward nodded as the wolf silently explained something to him. "It was fresh then?"

"Edward?" I prompted.

"Six hours ago one of the younger wolves smelled a vampire near here and traced the scent to the house. He didn't recognize the scent as Bella." He grimaced. "Being very young and wanting to prove himself he tried chasing her on his own. Had any of the mature wolves been close then they could have stopped him. It appears that she ran. There's been no sign of her since." He planted his fist into an unsuspecting, perfectly innocent tree. I couldn't blame him. I wanted a tree of my own. This had been botched badly.

"Great," I growled.

Sam's hackles rose in response. We eyed each other and relaxed a hair. I had to remind myself that the young wolf could be a mere fifteen years old. It wouldn't do to get mad at a child for doing the only thing he knew how to do. Jasper sent out a wave of calm.

We were so close that it hurt. Edward agreed.

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**End Note:**

**I have a poll up on my profile regarding Nashville Flood Relief and whether or not I should participate. If you want to voice your opinion, feel free to do so there.**

**I also have a blog where I'm posting fic-related stuff**

**Katsfics(dot)blogspot(dot)com**


	7. Location

A/n

**Thanks to ebhg for beta'ing. **

**This is the one.  
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The tree had become mulch. When it came down to it, Edward really did have some anger management issues.

Edward growled.

_Get over it. You just destroyed a tree, I feel like I've got a right to comment on it._

"If you weren't being hypocritical, then I wouldn't take issue with it," he mumbled.

"I thought about destroying a tree. You actually pulverized the thing, there's a difference." I glanced at Jasper.

"He's calmer now. I think that the tree was an acceptable loss given the circumstances," Jasper commented. I groaned and walked away from him.

Sam had phased during Edward's temper tantrum. He stood, clothed, at the edge of what must have been Charlie and Bella's yard after they had moved onto the reservation. I felt a pang of guilt looking at the house. There was nothing that could be done about our past mistakes. The house was small, quaint. Like many of the houses in La Push, it was a single story. It had been well maintained but the thought of Bella living there for her remaining months in Washington seemed wrong.

Jasper was behind me. I could almost feel him debating as to whether or not he should cheer me up. I shook my head slightly. Sometimes, working through things on my own was preferable to letting my husband help me.

I stepped up next to Sam. I had to give him credit; he only bristled for a moment before turning to me. Then, he shocked me by actually patting me on the back.

"Any sign of her, vampire?" he asked.

"No, werewolf. She's still blocking my vision. Although her encounter with the pup accounts for a troubling lapse in vision that I had earlier."

Sam cocked his head to the side and I bit my tongue, trying not to think about the fact that the gesture reminded me of a confused puppy.

"As you seem to be aware, she's blocking my visions of her. However, unlike with you, I can still sense her. It's like she's a mirage, or underwater; she shimmers. With you and those that surround you I only see blackness," I explained. "Earlier, she disappeared completely for a full minute. I thought she'd died, but it must have been the boy."

"A logical explanation." Sam crossed his arms over his chest and continued to walk into the yard. I followed, dodging a ray of light that broke through the clouds more out of habit than any desire not to sparkle. Jasper walked right through it.

"Would you like to come in, make yourselves comfortable?" Sam asked as he opened the back door. "I don't think that Charlie would mind."

"Actually, I'd like to follow Bella's trail," Edward said from the edge of the yard. "I know that you have the pack following her but I'm more attuned to her scent."

"Suit yourself, but you will have to wait for an escort so long as you're on our lands," Sam responded.

"Speaking of an escort, some of us may need to feed soon. Air travel can be difficult for us. Would you be opposed to us hunting on the reservation?" Carlisle asked. I was grateful that he'd thought of it because our last meal still sat uneasily in my stomach.

"I'm afraid I cannot permit that, Carlisle. I can escort you to the boundary, and meet you after your meal." Sam winced at the word meal. The thought of ingesting the blood of another creature whether it was human or animal must have seemed abhorrent to him. "I fear that allowing you to hunt would be too large of a risk to our delicate treaty. I've afforded you as much leeway as the tribe is willing to give."

"Sorry if this is inconvenient, Sam," Edward snapped. I eyed him and gave him a warning to tread carefully. I'm positive that Jasper and Carlisle did the same.

"Thank you for your assistance, Sam. I'm hope that we can be of use in finding Sue and Charlie as well as Bella." Carlisle diffused the situation while staring blatantly at Edward.

"Edward, you must understand that your wife's transformation, and the agreement made by the pack on her behalf have put me, and much of the pack, in a very delicate situation with the tribe," Sam explained. "The pack considers Bella to be Jacob's mate, not yours." Edward growled and Sam shot him a glance that was more of a challenge. "As Jacob's mate, certain rights must be maintained."

"It's not like she was his imprint," a feminine voice growled from the trees.

"Leah," Sam sighed.

"They shouldn't be here, Sam." Leah stepped into the yard. She was a tall, slim, beautiful woman, or she would have been beautiful had she not been snarling.

"Do I have to order you to keep your mouth shut?" Sam asked with an eyebrow creeping up his forehead. Apparently, the issue of Bella's rights on the reservation had been previously broached. Leah immediately raised her hands in surrender.

"No," she said. From the way Edward was looking at her she still had much to say on the topic. Jasper clapped a hand on our brother's shoulder, and he relaxed. Leah's eyes narrowed as she stared at him.

"He can hear what you're thinking, Leah," Sam explained. He appeared somewhat amused, as Leah shook herself violently and proceeded to glare at Edward. "Leah, would you mind escorting Edward? He would like to attempt to follow Bella's trail." Sam smiled from ear to ear as he made the request.

Leah grumbled out an affirmative answer before stalking off into the trees. Edward waited for her to phase before following.

"Thanks, Sam," he grunted.

"Trust me, it'll be more awkward for her than for you," Sam said and waved to Edward.

"I'll be back," he called from the woods.

"Try to bring Leah back with you," Sam called.

"So, that would be the infamous Leah?" I asked.

"Yeah, in truth she's not all that bad; very loyal, but very opinionated. She's not Bella's biggest fan," he said.

"Obviously." I picked a miniscule amount of dirt out of my fingernails. "Any particular reason?"

"I think that it mostly has to do with me. It's personal. I will tell you that she takes a firm stand on the difference between girlfriends and mates," he explained. "Bella, was never Jacob's mate if you follow the letter of tribal law. By the spirit of the law, she was. Leah doesn't see it that way."

"We should get our investigation underway as soon as possible," Jasper said, returning us to the topic at hand. "When was the last time that anyone heard from Charlie and Sue?"

"It's been around two weeks. They were planning on being away for a week and a half. I checked the cabin myself, but there was no trace of them. If they made it there, then someone cleaned the area of their scent," Sam said. He took a seat on the back stoop of the house.

"Two weeks is an awfully long time for a kidnapper to hold on to someone," Carlisle commented.

"I agree." Jasper nodded. "It's likely that they're either dead or someone is using them for leverage with Bella."

"Why?" Sam asked.

"We're not sure," Carlisle answered.

"Bella is gifted, so it seems likely that one of our kind may want to use her for a military advantage," Jasper said. "She's very kind and compassionate, but she's also stubborn and has very firm morals. Someone would have to do his research in order to figure out exactly how to manipulate her."

It was like the world stopped on its axis. A tiny bit of the puzzle popped into place. Mr. Johnson had already used Bella's compassionate nature against her with Andrew. He'd known that she would go along with just about anything to keep others safe from harm. My jaw dropped open. The thought of him hurting Charlie was horrific. Bella had been through too much for that to happen.

"Alice?" Jasper placed a hand on my shoulder and stepped in front of me, looking directly into my eyes.

"Our kidnapper really has done his research. He knows exactly how to manipulate Bella," I sighed.

"I know that you've tried looking for Bella, could you search for Charlie?" Sam asked.

"I can," I answered. "It will be significantly more difficult since I'm not at familiar with Charlie as I am with Bella."

"Will you try?" he asked.

I nodded and focused my thoughts on Charlie. I pulled up a memory of him. I'd always liked Charlie. He was tough, a 'man's man' so-to-speak, but he loved Bella. From there, I tried to find his future. It was difficult at first but eventually I found him.

_The room was dark; it had no windows. However, it was nicely furnished. Charlie looked out of place in his surroundings. A dark haired Native American woman sat with him on a settee. She looked only slightly more comfortable. _

_It was then that I saw them. There were gray robed figures moving around the room. They moved too fluidly to be humans. Sue stared at one who seemed to be talking to her and Charlie. She showed no fear in her posture but it was apparent that she was wary of the creature. _

_Charlie was livid. His face turned an angry shade of red that rivaled a tomato. He wanted to fight the being in front of him. It seemed that he was only restrained by Sue's had on his arm. He didn't know what kind of danger he was facing. It was likely that he thought this 'man' was a regular kidnapper. Sue knew better. A fight between Charlie and their captors would result in his death. _

_The figure dropped his hood as he exited the room. His eyes were ruby red, and his cloak held the Volturi insignia on his chest. He was a lower member of the guard, marginally gifted, and given the charge of watching the humans to prevent their unlikely escape. _

The Volturi. The situation was worse than I'd thought. A breath got caught in my throat. I felt like I was choking on air. This was the worst-case scenario. Panic rose up from my stomach and I heaved. I ran for the tree-line and let loose my most recent meal.

Jasper's hand caressed my back and neck. His fingers felt cool and soothing. When I finally stopped heaving, Jasper was holding me in his lap. Sam and Carlisle looked on with concern.

"I should have thought of that," I whispered.

"Alice, what is it?" Jasper demanded in my ear. It was so rare to hear my husband demand something from me that it snapped me back to the present.

"The Volturi," I answered. "This keeps getting worse."

"Who are the Volturi?" Sam cocked his head to the side again.

"They're like the governing body for vampires. They bring order and a degree of civility to our kind," Japer sighed.

"In a way," Carlisle added. "They're a group of powerful vampires who enforce the law."

"Vampires have laws?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Just one law," Jasper stated. "Avoid exposure."

"Allowing humans to discover our existence without either disposing of them, or changing them is forbidden," Carlisle explained.

"Why does this make things worse, if they enforce the law, wouldn't it be better for them to have taken them than someone else?" Sam asked.

"Because the Volturi are ruthless when they want something." I could tell that Carlisle disagreed with me. Sam was still confused.

"Bella is a shield, she creates a tactical advantage that the Volturi will want in subduing conflict with other vampires." Jasper shifted under me. "She negates any mental ability and at least some physical abilities of other vampires. In addition, she's a newborn, which makes her stronger. Charlie and Sue are likely just pawns to gain her cooperation," he explained.

"This really doesn't seem like something that Aro would do," Carlisle interrupted. "Members of the guard are generally invited, not coerced."

"All evidence seems to point to the contrary," I murmured. Kidnapping sounded pretty far from an invitation to me. I crossed my arms.

"It's been hundreds of years since you've had contact with them. They may have changed their operating procedure in that time," Jasper argued. Carlisle nodded reluctantly.

"How are Charlie and Sue?" Carlisle spoke up, changing the subject.

"They seem fine. Charlie doesn't know what the Volturi are, but Sue seems to be aware that they're being held by vampires."

"Sue's on the council. She is familiar with your kind," Sam spoke up.

"It's a good thing that she is. Sue is probably the only thing keeping Charlie from making a fatal mistake. He seems livid," I said. "The guards are keeping their faces hidden from him. He hasn't noticed that their eyes are red. Hopefully he'll be allowed to go free after they get what they want from Bella."

"How long will that take?" Sam rose from the steps and began pacing.

"However long it takes to gain Bella's loyalty," Jasper said.

"Knowing Bella, Sue and Charlie could be there until they die," I commented.

"If this is truly their goal, then Aro will find a way," Carlisle said grimly. "He may be an old friend but he's also a master at manipulation."

"I think you're underestimating Bella," Sam said. "She's stubborn, willful, and impossible to deal with after she's made up her mind about something."

"True, but Aro is thousands of years old," Carlisle said. He ran a hand through his hair. "He's experienced in deception, and he'll push Bella to the limits of her control in order to break her."

"How long do you think we have, Carlisle?" I asked.

"We need to get there quickly," Jasper answered for him. "Bella may be physically ready for a fight but I don't think that she can handle psychological warfare. They may not be holding Charlie solely to keep her in line."

The thought dawned on me and I heaved again.

"Wait …"

"You don't mean to say …?"

"That's just barbaric," I whispered. If they starved Bella, and then put Charlie in the same room with her, it would break her. It might not have the effect that they desired, but she would most certainly be broken.

"We need to find her before she reaches Volterra." Carlisle pulled out his cell phone and dialed. He was going to have his friend search for Bella Cullen on flights to Italy. He wouldn't find her that way.

"They've probably made her purchase more fake identification," I said. Jasper nodded.

"The question is: who did she get it from?" he mumbled.

"Your eyes are black," Sam said as he crouched in front of me. I could hear his hear beating in his chest. My throat burned slightly.

"I'm _thirsty_," I said. "My last meal is on the ground over there. It's been a couple of weeks since I've hunted properly."

"I know that you're worried about Bella, but we need to take care of you now," Jasper turned me in his lap to look at my eyes.

"Can you control her?" Sam asked as he backed up a few paces.

"Don't worry, wolf. I'm not thirsty enough that you smell remotely appetizing."

"I'm more worried about anyone you might run into on your way off of the reservation."

"I think that the two of you should be able to keep me in line." I smirked at him. "I do have some self control, after all."

"No sign of her," Carlisle muttered as he closed his phone.

"Alice needs to hunt." Jasper encouraged me to stand as he spoke to Carlisle. I extracted myself from his lap and stood.

"Is everyone's flight still arriving on schedule?" Carlisle asked.

I checked quickly before nodding my head.

"I'm going to go ahead and book flights to Florence," he said and then opened his blackberry. "I'll hunt with Esme when she arrives."

Sam looked torn. He needed to provide an escort not only for us to the boundary but also for Carlisle. Jasper sensed his emotions immediately and jumped to rescue him. He asked Carlisle to follow us to the border since he'd be using his cell phone to schedule flights. Sam phased and we ran until we hit the boundary line. Sam and Carlisle fell back and Jasper continued onward with me. It was a relief to see our future again; it wove on in front of us like an endless strand of yarn twisted together. Seeing the two of us like that was always comforting.

Jasper decided to veer left and I followed him seamlessly. I nodded to indicate that we would, indeed, find prey in that direction. I took a moment to admire the way he moved; my husband was graceful in a dangerous way.

"We have other things to do, Alice," he warned.

I smirked at him, and ran ahead. I knew very well that we had other things to accomplish and I had no intention to act on the fleeting impulse I'd had to shred his shirt so that I could ogle his back unhindered. It'd been a long day and I needed some form of stress relief. Staring at his back would have relieved stress.

I needed a distraction from worrying about Bella. This new development with the Volturi was disturbing and highly dangerous. I hoped that Bella knew what she was doing. She had a plan, but was she a match for Aro? He was thousands of years old; he'd had centuries to hone his abilities and learn manipulation, and Bella was only twenty-two.

"Darlin'?" Jasper called from behind me. I stopped and turned to face him. "You just passed a heard of deer. Is there somethin' better ahead?"

"Sorry, just enjoying the run," I lied, knowing that he'd call me on it.

Instead of speaking, his eyebrow climbed up his forehead in a challenge.

"Empath." He pointed to himself. "Basic needs like feeding first, worry later." He cleared the space between us in a few strides. His hand stroked my cheek gently. "You're useless to Bella if you don't feed. Go find a deer, now." He placed his hands on my shoulders and pointed me toward the herd. A gentle pat on the back was all the encouragement I needed.

I bounded into action and ran for the deer. I took down a buck and sunk my teeth into his neck, tearing the flesh and finding the nourishment I needed. I gulped greedily and felt my thirst start to abate. Some of the tension that I'd been carrying eased. When the buck ran dry I looked up to find Jasper. He'd finished his own meal and was leaning against a tree. We disposed of the carcasses and I slipped my hand into his.

"Better," he stated more than asked. I nodded in return. He kissed my cheek, and made the decision to walk back to the reservation. At the end of our walk our futures would blink out once more and I'd be blind to what was coming. I hated that. Jasper's thumb drew a soothing circle on the back of my hand.

Unfortunately, the walk back to La Push didn't take long. Sam met us and led the way back to the house. There we found Carlisle sitting in Charlie's armchair, tapping his fingers.

"Carlisle?" Jasper called.

"We may have an issue." Carlisle looked up at us.

"What's wrong?" I titled my head to the side involuntarily until I realized that it was the exact same gesture that Sam had made before. I straightened my head up and furrowed my brow.

"Sam feels that we should accept help from the pack, and take some of them with us to Volterra."

My own reaction was akin to terror. If they came with us, then I would be completely blind. The second one of them encountered Bella, I would lose my ability to even register her existence, not to mention the fact that I wouldn't be able to help the family determine the outcome of our decisions. However, it wasn't me who spoke up.

"Absolutely not," Jasper hissed. "Not only is it more dangerous for them, but also for us. Their appearance would hinder our ability to negotiate as they'll be seen as regular werewolves instead of merely shape-shifters. In addition, their involvement would keep Alice from being able to see the future, which is essential to planning our attack, if needed. It puts us at a gross tactical disadvantage," he protested.

"You need to understand that the pack feels that their involvement would be help-"

"Absolutely not! I will not tolerate Alice being in danger!"

"Instead you'd put Charlie and my mother in danger?" a cold female voice asked from the door. I'd heard her shuffling around outside but I didn't know that it was Leah at the time.

"Trust me, they'll be in far less jeopardy if we have use of Alice's gift," Jasper argued as he turned to Leah.

"Listen, just because your little leech friend is Charlie's daughter and thought so highly of, doesn't mean that it's okay to sacrifice the one living relative I have left!" Leah shouted.

"We would never consider sacrificing Sue and Charlie," Carlisle said calmly from the chair. His fingers were tented in front of him as he analyzed Leah and Jasper.

The two were a few feet apart and each of them took up a defensive posture. The dog may have no control but Jasper knew better than to engage in this type of behavior. He was capable of controlling the situation easily.

"Jasper," I warned him in a whisper. He calmed himself and spread the feeling to Leah who growled before relaxing into a more normal standing position.

"Don't think that I'm naïve enough to not know what you're doing, leech," she spat.

"The situation needed to be diffused." Sam was standing in the doorway. "Haven't we talked about not picking fights when they can be avoided?" he pointedly asked Leah. "Don't make me order you."

"They're going to leave us out of the loop, Sam," she snarled. "How do we know that we can trust them?"

"Because Bella trusts them."

"Bella?" she scoffed. "Bella? Bella is one of them!"

"She wouldn't betray us," Sam said.

"Listen, we want Charlie and Sue alive," I said. "Bella has enough issues dealing with guilt regarding Jacob and Seth's deaths. We don't need or want to add your mother or her father to that list. She would be devastated."

It was the wrong thing to say. I knew it after the words left my mouth. Leah's form vibrated slightly and her face scrunched up into a scowl.

"Leah, outside," Sam warned and pointed a finger.

Leah stalked out and I clearly heard a ripping sound, followed by howling.

"I'm sorry, usually I'm more tactful than that," I said.

"Usually you can tell how someone's going to react," San answered. "Leah is a special case. You have to understand her side of things. Sue is all she has left to ground her; at times it's like the wolf in her takes over and she has no control. Having a family and a purpose helps us remain more human, I'm sure that you understand."

"I didn't know that," I said.

"Few do," he responded. "I wish that you'd reconsider our help on this matter. Our numbers could aid you."

"Sam, if it begins to look bleak, we'll purchase tickets for the pack to come to Italy before it's too late," Carlisle acquiesced.

"I suppose that's all I can ask for. The tribe cannot fund such an expedition. I trust you, Carlisle Cullen. Please do not betray that trust." Sam turned and walked out the door, leaving the three of us alone.

"Where's Edward?" I suddenly asked. If Leah was back, then he would be too.

"Down the hall, in Bella's old room," Carlisle said.

I found Edward curled up in Bella's old bed. He was in the fetal position, holding her pillow. I could see her, clutching an airline pillow in the same manner for the briefest of seconds. Edward saw it, too. The slightest smile lifted one cheek. He felt connected to her. I wished that I could show her the connection as well. She was alone, and headed into the deep end of vampire politics.

"We're heading to Volterra," I said.

"I know," he sighed.

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A/n

**So, there ya go.., Italy. She's going to Italy to tango with the Volturi. I had to tell you eventually, so there it is. It's kind of scary though.**

**News and updates on my blog as well as a teaser for something that I'm going to start posting in a few months. Katsfics(dot)blogspot(dot)com**

**Sometimes there's bonus content for signed reviews. Hint hint.**


	8. Bella

**A/n: At long last, it's chapter 8. I'm terribly sorry for the delay. For those of you who don't know, I'm due to have a baby any day now. It could be tomorrow, it could be two more weeks. This is why things have been taking so long.**

**Thank you to the fabulous ebhg for beta'ing even when she's insanely busy, and to L J Summers for encouragement to try anything to break my writers block.**

**You know how I've said I wasn't going to do Bella's POV… Yeah… change of plans.**

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**Bella**

We landed in Florence. I knew that one of them had to have been on the plane with me, as it was highly unlikely that the Volturi would risk my escape. I also smelled him. There was a vampire two rows behind me. I made a concerted effort not to get up and look. It was possible that he might not be Volturi; they could have been overconfident since they had both Sue and Charlie. Mark had left Sea-Tac ahead of me with yet another decoy. I sincerely hoped that these women weren't going to be harmed. Mark had lured them in with the promise of cash. It was disconcerting to look at them, all of the women looked freakishly like me. I'd left clues with those who seemed trustworthy on the first set of flights, but I was now out of hints for my family.

I wanted Edward.

While it was true that I'd dealt with plenty of adversity without him, it was harder. During the newborn attack in Forks and the aftermath I had thought that I'd never see him again. The separation was easier. I blamed myself for childish reasons. I wasn't technically his mate at the time, either. Being reunited, reconciled, and married had changed things – as did being a vampire. I craved him before, but he became a physical need. I wasn't sure how long I'd last without him.

But Aro would count on that. I could tell, even though I'd never met him that his plan ultimately included getting Edward. I was an easier target than he was. Being a newborn, and still having human ties had left me painfully vulnerable. I still couldn't work out exactly how Mark Johnson, Mr. Johnson, the same Mark who had participated in my kidnapping only a few months prior had found a way around Alice.

Granted, I had a way around her, but as far as I could tell Mark's ability dealt mainly with perception. He could find weaknesses.

_Oh._

He'd read Alice. So he knew exactly where all of her blind spots were. I felt like an idiot.

In addition, my control was being tested. Sitting on so many flights in the past twenty-four hours had caused my thirst to become quite acute. My fellow passengers smelled so good. The recirculated air in the cabin made me feel like a kid sitting in the middle of a bakery full of sweets and being told not to taste any of them. I'd never had a problem before, but Carlisle had made sure that my exposure was limited.

As painful as it was, I focused on Edward. It was trading the physical burn of thirst for a deep seated emotional pain that made me feel like I'd betrayed him; however, the guilt would help keep the thirst at bay. I wished for possibly the thousandth time that I'd just told him. Running off like this, leaving clues, playing a stupid cloak and dagger game with the Volturi was stupid.

I curled up into the fetal position as much as my seat would allow and dropped my shield for a fraction of a second. Alice could see me when I did this, but since I didn't know what the specific abilities of the vampire behind me were, I kept the moment brief and didn't try to send a message this time.

Hopefully, Jasper had things in hand. If I'd played my cards right, then he would have been the one going to Seattle, and meeting with Sam, and Edward would still be in Jacksonville, possibly with Alice. I was fairly certain that he wouldn't let his only link to gaining any information about me out of his sight.

Jasper and I could do this.

I felt the plane jostle before the humans did. We were at the jetway, and the flight attendants were opening the doors. I quickly unfolded myself and collected my things. My first order of business would have to be finding a trashcan. I'd surreptitiously tucked my in-flight meal into a plastic bag. I almost felt bad for the vampire behind me, he'd failed to plan for the meal and had ended up eating it and retreating to the lavatory to vomit, because his obvious disinterest in the food had been noticed. He wasn't used to dealing with humans, which was blatantly obvious.

I deplaned, quickly. The air from outside was crisp and cool, and although it stank of the metallic tang of jet fuel, it was so much better than the air inside the plane that had burned my throat and lungs. I pulled in deep breaths, and my thirst dissipated. It was fortunate that I'd fed before starting the journey. I blinked and my contacts dissolved again. Instead of stopping where I was to deal with the issue, I pulled on a pair of large framed sunglasses that Rosalie had given me. They were way too stylish for my usual tastes but perhaps in the airport, in Florence, they would seem chic.

I followed the signs toward customs. My fellow vampire from the plan had been tailing me. Just before I reached the line, his meaty hand grabbed my elbow. I looked, first at the hand and then at his face. He was huge – bigger than Emmett.

I quickly tried to assess whether or not I could defeat him in a fair fight. It'd be difficult. This one would have to be Jasper's.

"This way, newborn," he growled under his breath.

I followed the hulking vampire, with long dark hair to a side door. A man sat at a little desk, sorting through a pile of papers. He looked up when we entered, and cowered slightly. It seemed like he knew a vampire when he saw one. With a gesture, he asked for our documents, but didn't bother looking at them when they were produced. He merely stamped them, and typed something into his computer before ushering us out the other door.

"I have a car in the lot," my companion grunted and grabbed me again. This time, I shook off his hand.

"You have my father, I think that you can trust me to follow," I spat.

He looked down at me with his eyes narrowed. I sincerely hoped that Aro had requested my presence in one piece as opposed to several. My only other choice would be to reveal the physical nature of my shield and my level of proficiency with it, which I was still cleverly keeping under my hat. When the time came, if they thought I was weak, the strongest fighters would all go for Jasper, who was significantly more experienced than I was at combat. I could quickly finish off whatever weaklings they threw at me, and then pick off Jasper's opponents from behind.

After a long moment, the hulking vampire nodded, and proceeded to walk to the parking deck, careful to keep under the cover of the breezeway and out of the sunlight. I very carefully followed his example.

The car was parked on a lower level. When we arrived, he immediately donned a black cloak from the backseat and passed me a light gray one, and a pair of matching gloves. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"I have to take you through the main gate, you need to cover yourself so that we're not exposed," he rather irritably explained. I nodded and complied. The gloves were completely impractical, as was the cloak; both were satin. It seemed that someone thought I would appreciate the gesture. Perhaps they intended to try to woo me a bit, even though they'd forced my compliance.

He donned his own gloves and gestured for me to climb into the passenger seat. As soon as I had closed the door, he took off, black-gloved hands gripping the steering wheel. Seatbelts, apparently, weren't necessary.

The drive was silent. I didn't bother trying to make conversation, and neither did he. I considered dropping my shield again, but I didn't want Edward to know my location, just Jasper. I was going to have to be really really good to Edward after this was all over, provided I survived.

Our arrival in Volterra was quiet. The car pulled in front of a castle and stopped. My escort got out and looked highly perturbed that I hadn't exited as quickly as he did. I had been looking up at the structure through the window with my mouth open like a foolish tourist.

"Welcome home," he grunted when I stepped out.

We were both shrouded from the sunlight in our gloves and cloaks. The doors to the castle were thrown open by an invisible force when we reached them. They closed behind us immediately. The interior was much more like that of a bank or a hotel lobby than a castle. The marble floor was polished to a high gloss, seating areas with plush chairs and sofa's dotted the room. Sunlight shone through large stained glass windows. My companion threw back his hood and allowed the sunlight to glint off of his skin, casting multicolored sparkles onto the floor. I took my cue from him and lowered my hood as well.

He led me to a bank of elevators at the back of the room, pulled out a key, and placed it into a lock next to the last elevator then pressed the up button. A few minutes later the doors chimed and opened. The elevator itself was normal, it lacked the opulence of the room outside.

Our destination was on a floor that initially resembled an ordinary office building. A human woman sat at a desk on the far wall. As we entered she picked up her phone and dialed.

"They're here, sir ….Yes, I'll send them right back." She turned to us. "Master Aro says to meet him in the study rather than the formal audience chamber."

"Thank you Gianna," he nodded.

"Anything for you, Felix," she giggled like a schoolgirl in return.

"She's human," I stated after we'd exited the room through the double doors just to the side of her desk.

"Yes, and an employee, so don't drink from her without permission from one of the Masters." He gave me a stern look.

"I don't drink from humans," I mumbled looking around the hallway, which was decorated with various historical objects.

"That's because you've never tried it," he chided.

"No, it's because I'm morally opposed and have the self-control to restrict my feeding habits," I shot back.

"We'll see," he sang as he opened a door near the end of the hall.

Through the doors was an elaborate sitting room, with period French furnishings. It looked like a highly uncomfortable place to spend any amount of time. The chairs seemed like they'd be hard and unforgiving, not to mention too small for anyone over five-foot-four. I recognized the brothers immediately. Aro, Caius, and Marcus looked exactly like the artist's rendering in Carlisle's study.

"Dearest Isabella," Aro invited me into the room with open arms and a false warmth to his voice.

"I want to see my father, now," I demanded, crossing my arms over my chest.

Aro's arms dropped and his expression turned cold. He turned to Caius and raised an eyebrow. The blond vampire nodded in return. The third, Marcus, approached and touched Aro's hand. Aro briefly acknowledged the touch with a sour expression. Marcus moved to Caius and whispered in his ear.

I'd done my research. Marcus had most likely filled Aro in on the fact that my bond with the Cullen family was secure. Aro shot me an appraising look and I smiled as sweetly as I could while tapping my foot. In truth, it probably looked rather condescending.

"You're stalling, Aro. I want proof that he hasn't been harmed before we conduct any business."

"But, Isabella, he hasn't seen you since the change, won't he be shocked?" Aro deflected.

"I've had enough. You must desperately need me for _something_ considering the lengths that you've gone to in order to secure my _arrival_. If you can't give me some form of incontestable proof that he and Sue Clearwater are unharmed, then you've wasted your time," I spat.

Aro inclined his head slightly toward Felix. I turned to the hulking vampire, who in turn gestured for me to follow. We came to an elevator in the hallway, this one requiring no key. It was waiting for us.

I stepped in ahead of him.

"You would do well not to test Master Aro's patience," he warned.

"Master Aro would do well to learn some manners," I growled.

"Do you realize the game that you're playing?"

"Does he?"

"Listen, newborn, you have a lot to learn about this world and the way things work. Your stunt in there

didn't earn you anything, and if you're not careful I will be tearing you limb from limb," he said darkly.

"Bring it," I challenged.

The elevator gave a slight bounce before the floor indicator caught up with it and the doors slid open. We were in a nearly identical hallway to the one above. I had anticipated being shown to the dungeon. At least this was somewhat more pleasant. Halfway down the hall, a vampire stood guard in front of a nondescript door. We stopped in front of it.

"Blindfold them," Felix ordered. The guard nodded and disappeared into the room. It was done quickly, and we entered as the guard returned to his position.

The room was unexpectedly nice, and large. It took me a moment to find Charlie and Sue, I did so by locating their heartbeats. Charlie was the easiest to locate; he had a slight arrhythmia. He and Sue were seated in uncomfortable-looking arm chairs, facing each other on the opposite end of the room. I was standing near them in a flash, gray satin billowing around me.

They looked well enough. Charlie was huffing into his moustache and Sue sat like the proud Native American woman she was. She knew her situation, and had things under control to the best of her ability.

I leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Don't speak; it's Bella. I'm here to do what I can."

Sue nodded.

"I'm with the hostage negotiation team," I announced, disguising my voice. "I need to know if you've been harmed in any way."

"Other than the fact that my lady friend and I have been kidnapped, brought who knows where, and held there?" Charlie snapped.

"Charlie," Sue warned. "No one has physically harmed us."

"Have you been fed?" I asked.

"Real food?" Charlie snapped again.

"Yes, we're being fed healthily," Sue answered again. "Although, Charlie would like some more meat on the menu and less pasta."

I tried not to laugh at the thought of Charlie subsisting on a diet consisting mainly of Italian food, and not the Americanized version, but real Italian food. He probably felt like he was dying.

"I'll see what I can do; your situation may last a bit longer, but with any luck I should be able to negotiate your release," I said.

Charlie huffed. I wanted to touch him, and tell him that I was there, and not to do anything stupid, but I knew that my icy fingers would bring no comfort. Likewise, telling him who I was would only raise more questions. I had to count on Sue to get him through this.

I turned and left with Felix.

"Hostage negotiations?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I had to go with something that he'd believe," I answered.

When we returned to the elevator I pressed the up button. It was time to make the devil think that I was going to play nice.

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**End note: **

**I am now on Twitter. I mostly tweet about baby stuff though, so it's just terribly exciting. As always I am wuogkat. **

**I have an entry in the Killing Me Softly Contest, I believe that we're still in open voting for that one. You can find the contest here:**

**www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/2566885/Killing_Me_Softly_Song_Contest**


	9. Practice

**A/n**

**Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and all related concepts and characters.**

**Thanks to ebhg for beta'ing. You rock, babe.**

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"I trust that you've found that everything is in order," Aro smirked.

"If by in order you mean that my father is still alive, then, yes, everything is in order," I snapped. Several vampires behind me hissed at my tone, but being a newborn had certain benefits, didn't it?

"Temper, temper, my little newborn," Aro scolded. He stepped down from the dais and approached me. "Your hand, Isabella," he ordered.

I folded my arms and smiled sweetly. "You won't hear anything."

"Hand, Isabella. There will be consequences for your disobedience." He raised a thin black eyebrow and held up his hand. I calmly reached out and pressed my palm to his. His skin had the texture of talc, it was smooth but felt like it would rub off on mine. "See, you can be civil."

I didn't stop the snort of a laugh that forced its way out of my nose. I could be civil if he could, but I doubted that he would.

"Now, lower your shield," he requested with an implied threat lurking in his tone.

This was part of the plan that I wasn't sure would work. I'd been successful at hiding thoughts from Edward, selectively removing things as I thought of them without his knowledge. I hoped that I could use the same technique on Aro. I sucked in a completely unnecessary breath and steeled myself for a fight just in case. I dropped the shield and watched my life flash before my eyes. I had to be careful about what I tried to cover. I intentionally left things that I wouldn't want anyone to see. There was some particularly juicy sex in the cabin behind the Cullen house that I left, but I managed to cover all evidence of my shield having physical properties. That knowledge would have made Aro look like a kid in a candy store; instead, he appeared minimally pleased. I decided to operate under the assumption that he didn't see everything.

"Very good, you will do nicely." He released my hand and clapped his together. "Felix, have Giada assign Isabella quarters and see that she starts training immediately. We shall have more company soon, it appears that Isabella has been playing Gretel and leaving breadcrumbs for her coven-mate, Jasper, to follow."

"Aro?" I called him. There was no way that I was going to allow myself to be dismissed without a concrete deal.

"Isabella," he simpered at me.

"My family? I'd hoped that we could reach an agreement."

"An agreement?" he laughed. "Dear girl, an agreement is pointless until I have some assurance that you will keep up your end. Until then, the humans stay." He turned to dismiss me but I had no intention of leaving just yet.

"What exactly do you want from me?"

He didn't turn to look at me and continued to walk away as he spoke, "You are a shield and I intend to use you as such indefinitely."

Rage boiled up from my stomach and threatened to overtake my careful composure; I could feel it cracking. My control was like a sheet of ice on a pond. It appeared thick at first glance, but upon closer observation it couldn't support someone's weight. Aro was very carefully stepping down to see how long it would be before I cracked.

"You'd trust me even without my loyalty?" I shouted at him, "because you're not earning it. Right now, I might just consider killing you myself." It was a bluff and a bad one at that, but I could feel the ice crackling.

"Isabella," he said as he rounded on me. "I can be rather patient when necessary, but don't think for a moment that I will tolerate threats to my life. As a newborn, I am affording you some leeway, but don't take this as weakness. If you make an attempt on my life, you will find yourself in pieces and smoldering before you lay a hand on me."

We stared at each other for several long seconds; the rest of the guard stood still, waiting for either of us to move or speak. I knew that I'd pushed him as far as I could; even so, I had the urge to lunge at him. I pushed it down and squashed the impending snarl from my lips. My emotions came back under my very careful control. I smoothed out my facial expression to something less threatening.

"Very good. I have to admit my shock at your ability to control your emotions. You will do rather nicely after some training," he commented before turning away from me again. "Felix!"

I considered my room to be quite generous under the circumstances. Giada assigned me quarters next to Felix, so that he could keep an eye on me. This landed me on one of the upper floors of the castle. It consisted of a sitting room, and an en suite bathroom. There was an armoire in the corner that had already been stocked with robes; mine were light gray. The darker the robe color, the higher standing one had in the guard. I was near the bottom.

Once settled in my semi-private room - realistically wherever there is another vampire one never has full privacy- I could hear Felix next door changing out of his robe for combat practice. I dropped the physical aspect of my shield completely. I wouldn't be able to use it, and hopefully Jasper was far enough ahead of Edward and Alice that we would have enough time to handle the situation before they arrived.

I walked over to the armoire and pulled out what I assumed was the "practice uniform." Felix had informed me that I only had around fifteen minutes to get acquainted with my room and change. The uniform consisted of a pair of grey cotton gi pants, and a matching, long-sleeved cotton shirt with a hood. I braided my hair and tied it back with a rubber band I found in the bathroom. My time was almost up; I stood awkwardly in the center of the room, just looking at it. I was very fortunate that this would not be my permanent home.

I heard Felix open and close his door, and then rap on mine. I sighed heavily and opened it up. He gestured for me to walk ahead of him down the hall and I did. We took the elevator down to ground level and he led me to a courtyard where about ten other vampires had assembled. Most of them wore the same light gray uniform that I did, though a darker shade was also represented. They stood stiffly, in unmoving rows, facing two guard members in charcoal-gray clothing. Felix deposited me in what I assumed would be my spot at the back of the group and then proceeded to stand at the front. He and the two guards in dark gray began some very basic combat instruction.

The group stood stock still; I didn't. I was in the habit of moving ever so slightly on a continuous basis due to the time that the Cullens spent in human society. The timed movements, a slight flick of the hair, blinking, scratching my nose, were all second nature to me. Every time I shifted my weight Felix shot me a death glare like none other. Apparently we were supposed to remain still. I rolled my eyes and picked at a tiny bit of dirt under my nail, it smelled like home. It was strange being able to smell a tiny sample of soil and know where it came from, and even stranger that I did it without consciously thinking about it.

"Perhaps Isabella would care to demonstrate?" Felix called. I was rather tempted to decline since he'd asked a question. Instead, I nodded. He'd been running over some rather basic self-defense moves, nothing I didn't already know.

"Phillipe, you will spar with Isabella."

The group moved back, forming a circle. A slim dark haired vampire with slightly olive_-_tinted skin stood opposite of me. I assessed him carefully in the seconds before he attacked. The trick to this was going to be looking like I was actually fighting, but letting him win without losing a chunk of myself in the process.

I intentionally slowed down my reaction time as he charged. Unfortunately, slow for me wasn't slow enough. I managed to knock him down mid-kick and landed on top of him with my fingers curled around his neck. If the rest of the Volturi's grunts fought like Phillipe did, then Jasper and I were going to have it easier than I thought.

I sprang to my feet and met Felix's eyes. He narrowed them at me for a moment. I wasn't sure if he'd figured out that I'd held back, or if he hadn't been expecting me to take Phillipe down so quickly. I faced three other light-gray uniformed guards before he had me stand off to the side of the courtyard, and resumed the class.

After he'd released them, he strolled over to me, sinuously, lethally. His movements were designed to assert a certain level of dominance. I realized that I should play meek, and did my best. It didn't work.

"You've been trained," he casually commented, leaning next to me against the wall.

"Not really. I took Tae Kwon Do as a human and the Cullens like to horse around a bit," I explained.

He nodded.

"For someone with no real experience you seem to have adapted what little you know successfully."

"Having another vampire charge at me seems to be adequate motivation to adapt."

"I'm going to have you practice with the upper guard. Keeping you with the grunts would be pointless as you've already beaten Phillipe and he's the best in that group," he said and pushed himself off the wall. "You're to return to your room and stay there until the evening. I'll come and get you when the upper guard convenes."

My plan didn't seem to be working. It looked like I was going to have to make an effort to get my butt kicked. It really did see like a good idea to appear inexperienced and unable to defend myself. They would expect Jasper to be a fighter, not me. On the upside, I would have access to upper guard members and be able to learn about their abilities.

I shuffled my way back to my room, knowing full well that any attempt to do otherwise would get me caught and jeopardize Charlie and Sue's lives. Hopefully, Jasper would arrive soon.


	10. The Upper Guard

**A/n:**

Thanks to ebhg for beta'ing in the midst of yet another move. You're a trooper, babe!

**Summary because it's been a bit between updates**: Bella is now in Volterra, attempting to infiltrate the Volturi guard in order to free her father and Sue Clearwater, and to ensure the safety of the Cullen family. All of the Cullens are currently enroute to Volterra on a rescue mission.

The upper guard was more my speed. Without the use of my physical shield, I found myself getting knocked around the courtyard more often than not. They put up a serious fight. Aro stood on a balcony above us and watched. I wasn't sure if his presence had anything to do with mine or not, but it was disconcerting nonetheless.

Felix immediately paired me with Jane, followed by Alec after she got tired of a fair fight. Jane had apparently never had to fight without her gift, and her ability to dole out crippling pain gave her an advantage. It was difficult to let her get in a few good punches. I really wanted to wipe the floor with her and be done, but that would have to wait. After sizing her up, I was pretty sure that I could take her by myself when the fight came. Truthfully, I'd have to do that and better.

There were at least ten upper guard members. If I shielded myself and Jasper, possibly Emmett if Jazz brought him along, that would mean that I'd have to take on several members of the guard – alone. Practicing with them was proving to be the best way to learn their weaknesses. Most of them relied too much on their gifts.

It didn't take much observation to figure out what each vampire could do and why he or she was valuable. Some of them were obviously used for offense in battle, like Jane, Alec, and Felix. Alec was Jane's opposite, instead of causing a sensation, like pain, he removed all sensation, and it seemed to work on multiple opponents at once. Renata was definitely a shield, like me, though only physical. She couldn't fend off a mental attack.

Chelsea was harder to figure out. It was subtle, but I realized that everyone seemed to like her. She wasn't that charismatic; as a matter of fact, she was rather quiet. Other than her duties to Aro and Caius, who were observing us, she really only seemed to interact with a male named Afton.

"What does Chelsea do?" I asked Jane as I grappled with her.

"Why?" she grunted.

"Just making conversation…" I kicked her in the ribs.

"Not much that's useful." She dodged my fist and grabbed my arm.

"Then why's she here," I snarled, flipping Jane over my back and onto the ground.

"She just keeps everyone from fighting like a bunch of newborns," Jane spat as she turned the tables on me and pinned me to the ground with her knee at my throat. I tapped the ground to signal my defeat. Truthfully, I could have continued but I wanted Jane to feel secure around me.

I continued to assess each member of the upper guard for strengths and weaknesses. Every last one of them knew how to use their gifts perfectly to their advantage. This didn't seem to be much of a problem for me in the case of Jane, Alec, and Chelsea. Renata was only a difficult opponent given that I couldn't use my shield; however, Felix and Demetri were another story. Felix's gift seemed to be his strength, and although I was fast, I doubted that I was fast enough to avoid being ripped apart should he make it through my defenses. I watched him fight with Demetri out of the corner of my eye. The two practically danced together. Neither could tag the other. It was like an intricately choreographed ballet of death.

I was watching them a little too intently when Alec managed to get his arms around me. His teeth were quickly at my neck. I barely managed to evade getting nipped.

"Alec!" Aro shouted.

"Master?" Alec released me and presented himself to Aro.

"You are not to injure her," he ordered.

"Yes, Master. I was merely trying to teach her," Alec explained with a saccharine smile.

"See that you only teach," Aro admonished him before redirecting his attention.

"Looks like Jane is right, you're the new favorite," Alec hissed.

"Not by choice," I muttered.

"You'll change your mind."

"Doubtful."

"Let's resume." Alec immediately dove at me. I had to force myself to keep my shield down by sheer will. I didn't want him to get close enough to touch my neck again, but I had to allow it. By the end of the evening my skin was stinging from venom seeping into superficial scratches, and my body ached in the places where I was still healing from injuries.

"Good job," Felix patted me on the back and guided me back into the building.

"Thank you," I mumbled.

"If you would accept your place here, I thing that you could enjoy yourself," he commented.

"No offense, Felix, but I have no interest in enjoying myself here."

"You should consider it. Some of us have a really good time together in our off-time," Felix winked suggestively.

"I'm married," I snapped.

"We're vampires, marriage isn't something we do."

"Edward is my mate and my husband. I have no interest in 'having a good time' with anyone else," I explained.

"You still have a very human view of relationships." He opened the door to the stairwell and led me up to our floor. It was amazing how fast one could move when not pretending to be human. We ran up several flights of stairs in a matter of seconds. "You should bathe, and redress in your robes."

"Why?" I asked at my door.

"Caius will be calling for you this evening," he explained.

"Caius?"

"Yes, it may seem like Aro has all of the power, but he would be unable to exercise that power or retain it on his own without Caius."

"Why?"

"Listen my little newborn, you don't have to understand everything about your new masters, only that when they call, you should arrive promptly and dressed appropriately." He paused for a moment, "you should also reconsider your attitude. Aro's fascination with your gift will only get you so far. Do not anger Caius. Those who do, tend to find themselves dismembered and smoldering."

"Thanks for the advice." I opened my door and locked myself inside my room. I could almost hear Felix shaking his head.

Instead of heading immediately to get cleaned up, I flopped down on the sofa. I was unaware that it was possible to be in pain from physical exertion as a vampire, but apparently healing hurt. I traced my fingers over a slight fissure in my right arm. It had been a relatively deep gash, but was mending itself rapidly. I wondered if I licked it, like a cat, if it would heal faster. Venom should do that, right? I considered it, but ultimately decided not to lick my arm because it felt too animalistic. I had to hold onto my humanity as much as possible. There were too many who would try to strip it from me while in Volterra.

Additionally, I had no desire to die. I absolutely had to get out. There was no way that I'd survive on my own here. I had to play my cards carefully. If what Felix said was true, then I couldn't afford to offend Caius. Aro had been willing to put up with my attitude because he saw me as a prize. I doubted that Caius felt the same way.

I eventually got up, grabbed a robe and a dress from the closet, and made my way into the shower. It didn't take long to scrub off the thin layer of dirt and dust that I'd acquired; grime didn't stick as well without sweat to make it adhere to my skin. Instead, the dirt sluiced off down the drain. I'd never really noticed that at home, probably because Edward was usually in the shower with me.

Thinking of him made me simultaneously buoyant and sad. I missed him terribly. It was like missing a part of my body; I was running around without an arm or a leg. My stone heart had turned into a painfully cold lump in my chest. Thinking of him made the edges melt, only to refreeze and cause more damage, like frostbitten skin thawed and then reexposed to the elements. My arms ached from not wrapping around his shoulders.

I had to refocus. There was no room for error or inattentiveness in the game that I was playing, so I shook Edward from my mind and cut off the water to the shower. Without a hairdryer, I pulled my hair back into a high, tight bun. Jane seemed to favor the style, and I wanted to appear to try and fit in just a bit to give Aro some hope.

I slid on the light grey dress provided and pulled the coordinating cloak around me. It was a calf-length circle of fine grey fabric, lined in white satin, with a deep hood that would easily hide my entire face from sunlight if necessary. I pulled the hood up, not wanting to see myself dressed as one of _them_.

A rapping sounded from the door before it opened. Demetri stood in the doorway, arms crossed, looking rather casual in his black uniform. He smirked at me.

"The brethren have called for you."

"The brethren?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Caius in particular, but all three of our masters wish to see you," he said.

"Lead the way." I gestured toward the hallway and followed him out.

We walked more slowly than I had with Felix. Demetri seemed to be drawing the trip out, like he was trying to make me nervous. It wasn't working; instead, he was giving me time to compose myself and prepare. I pulled together the reserve of strength I had left as he led me through the corridors of the castle. My mission was to play nice with Caius, make him believe that I trusted him, and in turn earn his trust.

We reached the tall, ornate doors that led to the formal audience chamber, where I'd been led earlier. Caius was alone in the room, pacing back and forth on the diaus. He didn't look up as we entered. His steps tapped out an ominous rhythm on the marble floor. Demetri left me alone in the room with him. It was in that moment that I knew for certain that he was no one to triffle with; Aro wouldn't have met me without another member of the guard to watch his back. Either Caius was clueless, or dangerous. I was leaning more towards dangerous.

"You've presented us with quite a challenge, Isabella." He kept walking. "You see, we already have one shield in the guard and she predominantly protects Aro. However, he seems to want to use you as his personal shield as well. I simply cannot allow my brother to have two shields; it's a waste of resources." He stopped to glare at me. "So, what am I to do? Renata is loyal to Aro. I fear that in a fight she would automatically go to him even if assigned to myself or Marcus. Therefore, you cannot be Aro's shield."

"Um, okay…." I nearly kicked myself for not having the presence of mind to come up with another answer but he was babbling on about Renata and Aro. Did he expect me to have an opinion? If I had one, did he want me to state it? No, surely not. Caius seemed the type to enjoy hearing himself talk.

"Okay? _Okay?_" he spat. "I want you for myself." He stepped off the daius and approached me. "I want you to be my shield, my bodyguard!" he shouted and grabbed my chin.

"As I don't seem to have a choice in the matter –"

"You have a choice; Aro is going to try to woo you. He knows that he can't keep you without your loyalty. Know this, you are nothing but a prize to him." Caius' finger was pressing into my chin so hard that I could feel my flesh give in to his. "Never doubt that you don't mean anything to him beyond a status symbol."

"Understood," I answered through clenched teeth.

"Good." He released me and turned his back. This seemed like either a bold move or an arrogant one. He was completely exposed. I momentarily debated attacking him. "You will be very important to me."

I couldn't figure out how I was supposed to respond, so I settled for, "Thank you."

"On to other matters," he turned back to me, "You and Felix seem to get along well."

"As well as can be expected, sir."

"It's good that you enjoy his company. He is as of yet, unmated. You should consider him," he said cryptically.

"Consider him?" I squinted a bit trying to figure out the deeper meaning behind his words.

"As a potential mate. You can't possibly think that we'll allow you to remain bonded to your former coven," he explained.

I gasped. "Sir, I require clarification."

"You will, of course, not be allowed any further contact with Edward Cullen." He waved dismissively

"Sir, he's my mate," I explained, "and he's a very jealous mate."

"We'll handle him," he laughed darkly.

"I can't just…" I couldn't find the words to express myself. Taking a mate other than Edward wasn't going to be possible. Edward was my entire world. I couldn't even pretend otherwise. "He's the center of my universe. I can't replace him."

"You have no idea what you're talking about, little one," he smiled saccharinely.

"I believe that in this case, I do," I argued.

"You are a newborn; it's utterly impossible for you to have found your true mate so young."

"Improbable, perhaps, but I have found him. There's no one but Edward for me," I tried to explain. "He is my mate. Even now, I feel a pull to go to him."

"Well, that is certainly problematic," he huffed. "I knew that Marcus sensed a bond, but I thought that perhaps he was exaggerating its strength."

"I assure you, sir, that it is by sure force of will that I am still standing here, and not running to him."

He scrunched up his face and studied me. "How, exactly had you planned on serving in the guard? Surely, Carlisle isn't going to allow a member of his strange coven to leave, especially not Edward?"

This was where my newfound poker face came in handy. I needed to lie convincingly to Caius. I knew what the Volturi probably wanted when Mark came for me.

"I didn't know exactly what was wanted of me," I lied smoothly. "I thought that you merely meant to meet me." I silently pled with Caius to think that I could be that stupid.

"I fear that you were wrong, child," his tone changed to a softer one. "We would not have gone to such trouble merely for an audience."

"I need him," I dry-sobbed. I didn't even have to fake it. I allowed the emotion to wash over me. My breath was soon coming in little gasps. I wondered why I bothered to breathe but in an emotional reaction, air continued to pass in and out of my lungs. I dropped to the floor, and allowed myself to be weak. This wasn't part of the plan, but there was no way I could go to Caius' chambers.

I felt, rather than heard, the set of doors behind Caius open. I continued to grieve, dropping down to the floor in a ball. On the outskirts of my awareness I sensed Aro and Marcus. Aro quickly engaged Caius in conversation, wanting to know what his "dear brother" had done to "his" pet.

Marcus avoided the other two. I felt him step down into the main portion of the audience chamber and approach me. He knelt down in front of me like I was a scared, wild animal.

"Shhhh," he whispered. "Shhhh. I sense your bond. It hurts, does it not?"

I raised my eyes to meet his and nodded.

"It only hurts until you kill of the part of yourself that cares," he said ominously. "By then, you won't care about much of anything anymore."

I shivered at his words. Marcus was someone who understood pain.

"Close it off, put it away, feelings are useless," he continued. "The bond cannot be broken, but you don't have to be a slave to it. There is no need to be shackled to someone else. Therein lies only this pain. Eventually, we are all separated. Death can happen even for our kind."

Part of me felt a kinship with Marcus. I could only guess that he'd lost his mate. I imagined that it must have been like when Edward left me. The pain I was feeling was a bit more intense than the sheer emotional torment that I'd endured in the years I spent without Edward. I felt something for Marcus; not quite pity, but I could understand him.

The atmosphere in the room changed. My eyes were drawn to Aro as his head snapped up and he frantically whispered something to Caius. Marcus smiled tenderly at me, and excused himself to touch Aro's hand. He looked almost smug. Aro whispered to Caius again.

"Then it's settled, she's his," Caius huffed indignantly.

"No," Aro protested.

Marcus shook his head and returned to me. He was studying me, completely focused on something that I could not see.

Caius and Aro were still engaged in a heated discussion.

"Well, she has no bond to either of us. A faint bond of any sort, even if it is to Marcus could keep her under control…"

"No, no, no," Aro stomped his foot, causing a small fissure in the marble under his feet.

"I agree that this is potentially problematic –"

"Problematic! _Problematic?_" Aro gripped Caius by the sleeve.

"It seems that my brothers are unhappy," Marcus deadpanned. "Come, you shall wear black." He pulled me to my feet and led me from the room.

**End Note:**

Thanks to all of you who are still reading! Mwah!


	11. Enter the Cullens

**A/n:**

Thanks to ebhg for her beta'ing services. Mwah!

short chap but an important one

* * *

I found that Marcus actually understood the mate bond. He didn't participate in the promiscuous activities that the rest of the Volturi seemed to favor. As a matter of fact, he steered clear of the rest of them unless called. Marcus was depressed. He couldn't bear to be around the others because they didn't understand his pain.

I accompanied him to the library, where he sat across from me and told me about his wife. She was more than merely his mate. Didyme was his world.

"I don't think that my brothers understand what it is to truly have a mate," he mused. "They don't show that kind of emotion toward their mates. I doubt that they are truly bonded."

"Why?" I asked.

"Aro has little more affection for Sulpicia than a rider has for his mount," he scoffed. "Caius is a little better, although I do doubt that he and Athenadora actually speak to each other outside of the bedroom. The bond isn't as strong as it should be. They, and their mates, have affairs with members of the guard. Didyme and I never felt the need for that. We found everything we needed in each other."

He sighed and returned picked up a book from the table next to him. He flipped through the pages before setting it down and turning to me again. He studied me for several moments.

"I can tell that you feel this strongly for your Edward. However, you must not give in to it. It will only lead to more pain when Aro decides that he is inconvenient. I cannot protect you from this."

"What do you mean?" I sat up a little straighter.

"I mean, that Aro has a history of disposing of those who get in his way," he growled. "He thinks that I'm an imbecile, but I know what he did. He killed Didyme," his voice dropped to a whisper. "He killed his own sister because she and I intended to leave. He thinks I don't know, that I can't see Chelsea redrawing bonds between us. Aro is a power hungry fool, but I stay because he's all I have left. The world holds nothing for me. What little I have left is here."

I nodded. I could understand Marcus. I had intended to remain in Forks after Edward left, before Jacob died, simply because it was the only thing I had left of him. I had memories and places. If Jake hadn't died, I probably would have remained there, and I didn't have a vampire creating a bond between myself and someone else to get me to stay.

Marcus had also just confirmed a key piece of information. Chelsea was more important to the Volturi than any of the regular guard members understood. She was possibly the key to making the entire house of cards tumble.

"If you were unaffected by Chelsea…?"

"I would arrange for my own death," he said darkly.

"So, you truly believe that there's nothing for you without Didyme?" I cocked my head to the side out of habit. Marcus was so still compared to me.

"Life without her is pointless. Do not allow that to happen to you; learn from my wretched circumstances." Marcus made and held eye contact with me.

"I don't think I can give him up," I confessed, suddenly feeling the wall I had built to keep myself safe crumble.

"If you love him and he won't join the guard with you, you must."

I sighed heavily and leaned back in my chair. I was glad that I wouldn't have to actually follow Marcus' advice. However, I had to appear to follow it. I had used my emotional state to avoid Caius and his unwanted matchmaking, but that would have to end. I was going to have to appear reconciled to losing the love of my life. How far was I willing to take this? I couldn't be unfaithful to Edward, so I needed to appear like Marcus, utterly broken.

I could do utterly broken. I'd lived it before.

Marcus and I returned to our books. I merely pretended to read out of pretense. Inside I was worrying about my situation. I had been stupid to think that I could pull this off without help. I could feel myself drowning in politics.

I flipped through books across from my new boss for a few hours until Felix came for us.

"Master Marcus, there is an audience being held in the throne room, your presence is requested."

"Fine, come Bella," Marcus sighed.

As we filed out, Felix caught my arm. "Black?" he asked, indicating my cloak.

"I've been promoted," I whispered.

"I can see that," he mumbled. "You should have allied with Caius," he chastised.

"It's amazing how no one in this castle believes I have ears," Marcus muttered acidly.

"I apologize, Master, I was merely – "

"Merely looking out for a pretty female," Marcus finished. "Be mindful of that attitude, Felix, you are lucky Bella has put me in a jovial mood." Marcus looked anything but jovial.

Felix led us to the throne room and indicated that I should stand behind and to the right of Marcus' throne. Renata took the identical position next to Aro. Other guard members took their assigned positions.

The tall doors leading from the main hallway swung outward, revealing my family, _all_ of my family. The Cullens sauntered into the room. My eyes landed on Edward, and I could almost feel my dead heart beating. Of the seven, Edward was the only one who looked concerned. Carlisle looked regal, he stood straight with his head held high. Esme and Alice stood behind him; Alice was watching the future, eyes slightly glazed. Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie stood protectively around the group. Edward was next to Carlisle. He looked anxious, worried; his hands twitched repetitively. I looked down and noticed that my hands were doing the same thing. I clasped them together and surreptitiously dropped my shield.

_I can't come to you,_ I told Edward. _Charlie is safe. They have him and Sue locked up. _I showed him the room with my mind. _We need to get them out before anything happens._

He blinked. I didn't know what that was supposed to mean.

"Carlisle! How wonderful to see you," Aro crooned, rising from his throne. I fought to keep from rolling my eyes. "I see that you've added to your coven, and that you seem to be well."

"Aro, Marcus, Caius," Carlisle inclined his head to each of them.

"Is that the only greeting we get after so long?" Aro feigned ignorance as to the reason of my family's visit. "Come, brother!" He stepped down into the room with his arms outstretched. I panicked. Aro could not be allowed to read Carlisle's mind.

_Edward, they can't touch!_

I started forward but was stopped by Edward. He looked pointedly right then left. He was saying "no." I stood still and tried not to cringe. Aro and Carlisle approached each other and embraced without touching skin. I held back a sigh of relief.

"I am very pleased to see you doing so well!" Aro commented. "I have to admit that I thought you wouldn't be able to survive this long on your strange animal diet, but look at you. You are a sharp and bright eyed as ever. Your coven is quite impressive, too."

"It's good to see that my _friends_ here in Volterra are still doing well for themselves, and keeping the peace." Carlisle was either sincere or an excellent liar. I was leaning toward the latter.

"It is what we do," Aro said giddily. "Will you be staying?"

"We had thought to spend a few days," Carlisle answered.

"Very good," Aro lied a little less smoothly. If I didn't know better, I would have thought that he was afraid. "We shall arrange for you to have rooms. If any of you are interested, Heidi will be returning to the castle with a meal this evening."

"Thank you, but a meal won't be necessary," Carlisle declined gracefully.

"Well then, Jane will lead you to the guest wing," Aro waved dismissively. Jane immediately shot a glare at me. It seemed that my status as 'favorite new toy' kept me from the doing small chores like leading people around, and dropped them in her lap. I felt bad for her.

She stiffly led my reluctant family out the door. I fought the pull to follow Edward. I had thought that I didn't want him here, and on some level that was still true. However, seeing him grounded me. I still ached for physical contact, but the task at hand felt more manageable. Jasper had either missed or disregarded the note I left for him in Seattle. He should have found it when he visited Jenks, unless he just called. And therein lay the problem; Jasper didn't go to the office, he couldn't have.

My family didn't know that we were staging a coup.

"Is this going to be a complication, Isabella?" Aro simpered.

I chose my words carefully, putting on a frown I said, "No, Marcus and I have spoken, and I feel that it's best not to allow Edward to have any power over me."

_Please don't be listening._

"Very well then! Supper will be in a few hours, I expect you to be present," Aro announced and exited.

Supper was going to be an issue.

* * *

**End Note:**

Thank you for reading!


	12. Family Dinner in Volterra

**A/n Thanks to ebhg for beta'ing.**

**Last chapter:**

**Bella and Marcus had some bonding time over books.**

**The Cullens showed up in Volterra.**

**AND… Aro insisted that Bella show up for "family dinner." (eep)**

* * *

I was right, supper was torture. I don't ever want to think about it again. I will never regain that ten minutes of my life. Aro's insistence that I be present for the meal was a bad idea on his part; it cemented my desire to bring down the Volturi. My throat and eyes both burned as I exited the feeding chamber. I was thirsty but had no desire to participate in the bloodbath that passed for "supper" in the castle. My eyes stung as I tried not to think about all of those people being led to their death. My tears stubbornly refused to fall. It was the cruel reality of vampirism, death, destruction, and no way to release the emotion that was currently pent up.

All of those people who would never go home.

I choked back a sob, and ran for my room. I could still smell their blood, on my clothes, in my hair. I had been strong; I stood and merely observed the bloodbath. I stripped and turned on the hot water to my shower. With the spray beating down on my stone skin, I rocked back and forth in an effort to comfort myself. The hot water was unpleasant, but it helped. It was like a fire, cleansing me, sterilizing my body to remove any trace of blood.

When I finally felt clean, I realized that I had to get a message to Edward. Since my note detailing the plan wasn't retrieved in Seattle, I needed to touch base and let my family know what we needed to do. I was no longer frustrated by Edward's presence, since it allowed me to communicate with them. Perhaps I should have considered that in my initial plans, but I wanted Edward to be safe.

I turned off the water, and stayed in the tub. As part of my shield I could feel those around me. They were like stars in a black sky. The more familiar I was with someone, the brighter the star. I wanted to find Edward before I dropped my shield and tried to communicate. There had to be an inconspicuous way to use my shield to get a response.

I closed my eyes and searched for bright stars, there were three. One was on a lower level with a slightly dimmer star, that had to be Charlie. The other two were somewhat closer, one of them was pacing. I dropped my shield completely.

_Edward._

There was no change.

_Edward, please hear me. I know that there are a lot of other voices in the castle, but I need you to hear me, Edward. It's Bella, please stop pacing if you can hear me._

I watched his movements slow and then stop.

_Edward, I need to be sure. Take one step to the right if you can hear me._

He stepped to the right. I sighed with relief.

_Charlie and Sue are being held on one of the lower levels. _I showed him my trip down to their cell, being sure to show him the trip there so that he would know where they were. _We have to free them before the Volturi can use them against me. I'm sorry but we're about to start a war. Step left if you heard all of that._

He moved.

_I think that I can protect everyone, but we need to strike all at once. I need another day to figure out exactly what our plans should be. I have a feeling that we can end this with very little fighting._

_I love you so much,_ I told him. _I miss you so bad that it hurts. Please be safe, so that I can come back to you._

I pulled my shield back up, fighting tears that would never fall. I had to admit that being a vampire was fun when everything went well, but during an emotional crisis I missed tears. Sleep would have been nice, too.

I had work to do. There was no time to molly coddle myself and wish for tears. I climbed out of the tub, and dried myself. I donned new black clothing that didn't smell like blood and death, and ventured down to speak to Marcus. I needed to feed, and arrangements had to be made.

I knew that I'd find him in the library, mulling over some rare, ancient book that a human would never dare to touch without gloves. I reached his personal sanctuary and pushed open the heavy-looking doors, nothing was heavy anymore. He looked up into my black eyes.

"I had thought as much," he murmured.

"Sorry, I just can't," I responded lamely.

"You should consider it. Holding onto this weak, human façade is only going to hurt you in the long run," he sighed. "You remind me of Carlisle when I first met him."

"How so?" I asked, suddenly intrigued, and willing to forget my thirst in favor of first-hand information about Carlisle's early life.

"He was very much like you, idealistic, caring, weak…" He leveled a glance at me over the book before turning a page. "The fact that neither of you will even attempt a natural diet also comes to mind. He was just as stubborn as you are, hopefully more so as I have no intention of spending decades attempting to rid you of this foolishness."

"I can't do it, Marcus."

"You should call me Master," he sighed again. "Aro and Caius will think that I'm mishandling you, especially as I'm about to allow you to leave the city to hunt."

"Thank you, Mar- Master." I smiled and bowed my head.

"Take Felix," he ordered.

My heart sunk slightly. It seemed that like the other brethren, Marcus was going to push for me to bond with Felix. Although his methods were less obvious, I could still see through him. He wanted me to let go of Edward.

"Of course," I responded, head still bowed, and exited the room without turning my back on him. The formality was new. I felt as if I could have gotten away with more casual behavior had I fed with the rest of the guard.

I walked down to the courtyard in search of Felix. The day was overcast, so perhaps he would be willing to take me hunting before practice.

I rounded a corner and heard voices. I instinctually flattened myself against the wall and stopped breathing.

"She's well in hand," a male voice snapped.

"Make certain that she is. I don't want her questioning where her loyalty lies just now," Caius seethed. His voice was easy to recognize. "She was looking at Isabella like she might have a choice. I need her distracted, Afton."

"I'll handle it, Master," Afton responded.

I slid into an alcove to hide as they passed. I swallowed back the venom that pooled in my mouth and burned my throat. I considered following them, perhaps I could gain some more useful information, like who they were discussing. If we had an ally… I abandoned the thought as I stepped back into the corridor. I could smell a human and hear his heart beating nearby. The sound was torturous and inviting.

I had to find Felix and hunt. Although I was fairly certain that I wouldn't drink from a human, I couldn't be sure and had no desire to test myself. Information gathering would have to wait until I'd fed. I held my breath and continued on to the courtyard.

Felix wasn't there. I stood in the relative silence of the courtyard. It was different without the rest of the guard practicing. It was surprisingly peaceful. I could feel Edward, he wasn't far. Perhaps he was taking a walk. I looked up and scanned the balconies that opened out to view the space.

I caught a glimpse of bronze hair for a fleeting moment. Edward was three stories up, looking down on me. I dropped my shield again.

_I love you_.

It snapped back into place around me like a rubber band. I continued to stare up where he'd been, hoping for another glance, another brief moment, something to ground me. He was gone, and he took my heart with him.

I sensed someone behind me. I spun and ducked into a crouch, only to find Felix. He'd had a post dinner bath and was clothed in fresh robes.

"Black looks good on you," he commented. Felix and I hadn't had a conversation since my official promotion. "You belong with the upper guard, don't allow anyone to discourage you."

"Thanks." I remained crouched.

"You neglected to feed, Marcus sent me to find you." He paused. "You know that I won't attack you, get up," he sighed. He was so unnaturally still that I found it disconcerting. Most of the guard was like that, still, silent. They were all statues unless they were fighting or feeding.

"I need to find prey, preferably something carnivorous," I explained.

"There's not much around Volterra that would fit that bill unless you're open to humans."

I shrunk back and hissed.

"Fine, we might be able to find a bear if we go far enough. I really don't think you can afford to be picky though," he sighed again, looking at my eyes.

"Deer it is," I agreed and stood.

"Come, we'll take the South passage out of town." He beckoned to me.

I followed him through the catacombs under the castle to a passageway. From there we ran for miles before exiting the tunnel into a wooded area.

"Do watch out for hikers," he warned in a voice that betrayed his apathy.

"Don't worry about me," I huffed and took off running.

Felix followed me at a safe distance. It was my understanding that it would be unsafe for him to threaten my kill. Edward and I had always been able to hunt together relatively peacefully provided that we had enough game, but I also loved Edward. I had no love for Felix. I was pretty sure that given the excuse, I would kill him. Overpowering him would be easy enough since I was still a newborn. If he wasn't prepared and I used my shield, then I would have the upper hand.

I considered it as I ran.

I could kill Felix.

I could kill Felix and prove my loyalty by returning to Volterra without my guard. That would probably impress Caius, but at what cost? Would there be repercussions? Would they hurt Charlie and Sue?

It was too dangerous. I abandoned the idea. There was too much at stake to risk my father. No one else would ever have to die for me, there had already been too many. I just couldn't bear to lose anyone else. Whatever I would gain wasn't worth it.

I caught a scent from the East. It was a herd of deer. They smelled slightly different from the deer I'd encountered in America, but still the same. They were gamey and a bit too sweet as a rule, but it appeared that venison was all that was on the menu.

I turned and felt Felix turn with me. Damn he was irritating. I could feel the urge to fight him boil up inside me again, and tamped it back down.

The herd was close enough to identify the individual deer. I picked an older one, knowing I wasn't choosing one that was viable for breeding. It smelled a bit off, and tasted a bit off when I sunk my teeth into its flesh, but it kept my thirst manageable. I gulped it down cleanly and neatly. It was too sweet, and tasted green like grass. It wasn't what the burn inside of me wanted, but I drank it anyway. With the last gulp I rose and turned to Felix.

"That was…" he trailed off.

"That was dinner," I said. "Much more sporting than lining up people in a locked room, isn't it."

"It's disturbing that I found that kind of sexy," he said.

"You really don't have a chance in hell," I said.

"I'm not trying." He held his hands up. "Honestly, I understand, but the brethren don't. I find you attractive, and Aro knows it. They've decided that you could be a viable match for me."

"Is that why you're here? A little bonding with a potential mate? Maybe a quick romp in the woods will make me see the error of my ways?" I batted my eyelashes at him in jest.

"No, I'm the only one who has a chance at containing you if you decide to attack or to flee," he explained. Perhaps Marcus wasn't trying to play matchmaker. I'd read the situation wrong again. "But if you want a romp in the woods …"

I glared at him.

"Or we could just go back to the castle. Practice starts in an hour for the upper guard. Marcus will want to watch you in action." He offered me his arm and I rejected it, opting instead to follow the trail we'd left back to the tunnel. There was no way that I was going to touch Felix in any capacity other than sparring.

* * *

**End note:**

**Thanks for reading, and thanks to the lovely ladies I WC'd with this week.**


	13. That Hurt

**A/n**

Last time: Marcus was standoffish with Bella and told her to call him master. Felix took Bella out of the castle to go hunting. Caius and Afton are plotting something and Caius wants Afton to keep someone in check. Meanwhile, the Volturi seem to think that Bella and Felix would be a good match. Bella misses Edward. The Cullens are in the castle but aren't able to visit her. Bella's been doing some nifty shield work to communicate, and is trying to hide her abilities from the entire guard.

Thanks to the marvelous ebhg for her beta'ing services.

* * *

The upper guard had gathered in the courtyard. A few rays of sun filtered through the clouds and glinted off of vampire skin, casting rainbows onto the ground and walls. I entered from the east with Felix, and took my position between Jane and Afton. Felix spoke with Marcus before addressing the rest of us.

"Today we will all fight our newest guard member, Isabella. Marcus has informed me that we need to thoroughly assess her skill level and the limits of her shield."

I locked eyes with Marcus. He nodded serenely. I couldn't figure out why he was calm. He had arranged for me to be placed in front of the rest of the guard as a target. It occurred to me that he might know that I'd been holding back. I glanced at Felix, perhaps he was the one who suspected my secret. He'd spent more time with me than any of the others had.

Realistically, they weren't going to actually kill me. There was no fire in the practice courtyard. I just had to keep my shield down and allow myself to go down without making it look too easy. That was easier said than done. Having someone charge at you, and knowing that you don't have much of a chance, fighting your natural flight or fight response is tricky.

The only upside of the situation was that I could see how each member of the guard worked more clearly. They lined up. We weren't going for a group sparing exercise, at least not yet. The weakest came first.

I felt fairly confident that they expected me to take Chelsea down. She charged me and I deftly side-stepped, grabbing her wrist and flinging her to the stone floor. With her pinned, I leaned down and touched my teeth to her neck. She tapped the stone three times and I released her. I noticed an exchange between her and Afton. He watched her like a predator, and she smiled demurely at him.

Chelsea kept the guard together. She was the lynch pin in all of this. I wondered why she stayed with the guard and who held her loyalty. I fought with the others while trying to figure her out. Jane and Renata had both dealt some damage, my match with the latter was called on account of the fact that we both managed to get our teeth to flesh.

Alec was more difficult than he had been before. He was skilled enough that my mental shield didn't matter. We'd ended up grappling. He won. Grappling wasn't something I'd worked on before and even though I was stronger, Alec used my own force against me. We ended with him pinning me down, his entire body pressed up against mine, his hands pinning my wrists to the ground, and his lips rather than teeth at my throat.

"I win," he whispered.

As soon as he released me, rage boiled up from my chest and pushed out of me in the form of a sucker punch to the back of his head. A set of very strong arms were around me as soon as my fist made contact.

"Easy there, little newborn," Felix chided.

"Let go," I growled.

I could feel Edward nearby, like the prickling of hairs on the back of my neck. Chances were that he knew what'd happened and was just as angry as I was. I could also feel Jasper. A laser beam of calm shot directly at me from some unknown location, and with my physical shield completely down I felt it. I made a show of taking a deep breath and then flipping Felix off of me, over my back.

"I'm fine," I said calmly.

Felix approached carefully. "He's trying to get a reaction out of you," he said too low for anyone other than the two of us. "He thinks you're weak and emotional, don't prove him right."

I nodded.

"Watch out for Afton," he whispered in my ear as he returned to the line.

Afton was confident. He was one of the strongest guard members. With Felix's warning, I was apprehensive about fighting him. I wasn't sure what it was that he could do. I decided to take the offensive and kicked him in the stomach, only he dodged and landed a blow to my head that stunned me for a fraction of a second, and for that brief period of time, he was invisible.

He popped back into existence holding my right wrist painfully behind my back. He could make himself invisible. That was useful. I turned into his painful grip, rotating my wrist into his thumb. It was excruciating, but he didn't see it coming. I snapped my elbow up into his nose before he could react.

My wrist was injured. I couldn't ball my right hand into a fist. He made very short work of me. Before the splintered marble of my right wrist had even begun to mend, he'd rather deftly gotten his fingers around it again and squeezed hard. I tried to strike back with my left arm, but couldn't reach him. He bent the arm backwards until it began to snap. The pain brought me to my knees, my mouth hanging open in a soundless cry, shaking to contain my physical shield. It was the first time I'd ever sustained that kind of injury since becoming a vampire. My heightened senses made it all the more painful.

Suddenly, I had a whole new respect for vampires who lost limbs while fighting and kept coming. It hurt, a lot.

Someone else called the match.

Felix and Marcus were at my side. Afton was still holding on, but more gently. Marcus carefully took my arm from him. I tried to draw my hand back, instinctually wanting to cradle it into my chest.

"No, Isabella," a stern voice warned.

I bit down on my lip as Felix held me still. Marcus was manipulating my mangled appendage and binding it with a pristine, white cloth.

"Edward," I whimpered.

I could see him. He was poorly concealed on the roof. I looked away, trying not to give up his position. The brief glance that I got showed me his pained face. Watching this was too much for him.

"Shhh," Felix caressed my hair. It felt wrong. I wanted Edward, but I buried my face into Felix's shoulder.

"She needs blood," Afton's slight British accent tinged his words. "Shall I procure one of the less useful servants?"

"She won't drink it," Felix sighed.

"Stubborn female."

"I shall consult with Carlisle," Marcus announced.

"Brother?" Aro warned.

"She is too much like him, my brother. In time she may come to accept the true order of the universe, but until then I fear that we could spill even the sweetest blood in front of her with no affect."

"Fine, consult with _Carlisle_," Aro spat, "but don't expect a useful answer."

At that, I was lifted smoothly into Felix's arms. He pulled me into his chest protectively.

I could hear a couple of the female guards talking.

"Look how he is with her?"

"What a baby? Can she really not handle a little injury?"

"Anyone else, he would have made walk," Jane snapped.

"I don't need special treatment," I protested.

"You don't get to make that decision," he growled at me and proceeded into the castle. "Afton nearly took your hand off at the wrist, and proceeded to break your arm. He was out of line."

We were alone on the marble staircase when he slowed to nearly a human's pace.

"It doesn't mean that I can't walk."

"You'll heal more quickly if you rest," he growled.

I wondered what I'd done wrong.

"You're upset that he hurt me?" I asked.

"Yes, but not the way they think." He cocked his head to the side indicating the courtyard. "The majority of the guard has decided to prove that you're superfluous, Afton in particular doesn't see the need for another shield."

"That would actually benefit me," I scoffed. "In case you don't remember, I don't want to be here."

"The masters won't listen to them. Once they decide to include someone in the guard, they find a way to make it so, no matter who protests," he explained while still walking up the stairs with me in his arms. "The fact that you don't want to be here, and that you don't embrace the normal lifestyle for the vampire world doesn't help matters with the rest of the guard. To add insult to injury, Aro went to extreme lengths to bring you to Volterra."

"So… I'm supposed to be excited that they kidnapped my father and forced me into servitude?"

"No, you're supposed to want to be part of the guard without coercion."

"But…" I started to speak but he cut me off.

"This," he indicated my mangled wrist, "is just the beginning. They want you gone, which means that you could meet with an accident."

"Wouldn't Aro know?" I asked.

"You're not Aro's. He doesn't particularly care about your safety right now. You've bonded with Marcus, and he resents that. If you happened to conveniently meet your demise, he wouldn't out the culprit to Marcus."

"What do I do?" I sighed.

Felix paused. We were at the top of the stairs. He pushed open the door with his foot and continued on to my room, setting me down in the middle of my small quarters before speaking again.

"You're not going to like this…" He sighed and continued, "If you were to say, have a mate in the guard, the others would leave you alone. You'd be protected."

The entire conversation suddenly read as a trap made out of perfectly sound logic. I gaped at him.

"I know that Edward is your mate, but he's not a member of the guard. He can't protect you here," Felix continued to state his case.

I merely glared at him.

"I'm not saying that we actually have to…"

"No," I answered.

"Be sensible, I can protect you."

"No."

"Isabella, you must have a death wish," he sighed.

"I can't let Edward think for a minute that I've been unfaithful. I love him too much for that. Edward is my life, the best part of it, and the only reason to continue…"

"He's not going to join the guard, Carlisle will never let his first creation go!" he snapped at me.

"The Cullens don't work that way."

"You're blind _and_ suicidal."

"Felix, think what you want, but someday I want to be reunited with my true mate, and I don't ever want him to doubt me."

"Fine," he growled. "Lay down on the couch and rest until we can decide how to deal with your injury."

Felix stormed out into the hallway. I lay down carefully, avoiding any excess movement. If Felix was to be trusted, then I was in danger. The thing was that he could have been playing me.

I dropped my shield.

_Edward, I'm okay. _

I left it down and pondered the current situation, including my theory that Chelsea was the key guard member to take down. She was too nice; I wondered why she stayed and what she was doing with Afton.

Then it hit me.

_Afton. Afton is the reason Chelsea stays. He's loyal to Caius. Chelsea seems nice enough. I'd like to avoid killing her, but her mate is the only thing holding her to the Volturi, and without him she won't stay. Without her, none of the guard will put up with their masters. _

_Afton has to go first, and it can't be our fault._

I wondered if Felix would get rid of Afton? If he went too far, maybe Felix would save me some trouble. I let my shield back up, hoping that I hadn't left myself exposed for too long. I wasn't sure what kind of abilities everyone had, so I needed to be careful. Hopefully Edward had heard me, and found some comfort.

What I was doing to him was terrible.

Edward deserved better.

I sighed and stared at the tin tiles on the ceiling. Squares with an embossed floral pattern repeated from wall to wall. I busied myself counting the individual flowers.

There was noise in the hallway. I could hear Marcus speaking in a raised voice to someone. I strained a bit and made out Carlisle's voice.

If I could have cried, I would have.

Even though it had been mere days since I was home with my family, it felt like years. Hearing Carlisle in the hallway was a relief. Someone whom I had faith in was standing outside and he was going to help me. Carlisle would know what to do about my arm and he'd be able to offer comfort. I wondered if I'd be allowed to see him alone.

The door opened to admit Carlisle and Marcus. Carlisle's face was a mixture of emotions. I couldn't figure them out. I wasn't sure if even Jasper would be up for that job. As soon as my eyes left his face they zoned in on the delicious smelling package in his hands.

Resting on Carlisle's palm were two bags of blood – human blood. I sat up quickly and wrenched my arm. I winced and used my left hand to reposition my right.

"Carlisle, I can't," I shook my head. "That's human blood."

"Isabella, you need this blood. If you will not feed, then you will need to accept this donation," Marcus argued.

"Master…" I started.

"Bella, you need your strength to heal," Carlisle explained, "no one died for this blood."

"But what if…"

"Isabella!" Marcus yelled.

I was stunned into silence. He never seemed like the type to actually yell. I bowed my head submissively and took a bag. I was concerned that since I'd never had human blood before that it might make it harder for me to abstain. I didn't want to risk it.

"Will you allow me to speak with her?" Carlisle asked.

"You might be her sire, but she's part of my coven and she must learn to listen to me," Marcus spat.

"I'm not her sire," Carlisle said. "Esme changed her, not me."

There was a moment of silence. Marcus found the news that I was Esme's creation, not Carlisle's hard to believe.

"Your mate changed her?"

"Yes."

"Interesting. I suggest that you exercise more control over your coven, dear friend," Marcus seethed. "Isabella, do not just sit there and let the blood spoil, drink."

I looked down at the bag and tried to figure out the best way to approach it. If I bit through the plastic then it would go everywhere. I turned it over. I could try to suck it out of the collection tube, it was still attached.

"Now!"

I jumped and nearly ripped the bag in my haste to comply. I put the tube in my mouth and sucked the fluid down it like it was a straw.

It was good.

So good.

It was a little cold, like it had been several minutes since the blood had been collected. I thought about it being like leftover pizza, it's still good even slightly too cold. The bag ran dry more quickly than I thought possible. I slit the side with my nail and embarrassingly began to lick the inside.

I head a throat clear and looked up sheepishly. Felix had joined Carlisle and Marcus; the three males were staring at me.

"I am a vampire, and it is blood," I said quietly.

Felix chuckled, "That's a relief. I was beginning to wonder if you really were one of our kind."

"Bella is compassionate, it doesn't make her weak," Carlisle commented.

"Enough, _brother,_" Marcus growled. "She's not your concern."

"I'm right here," I sighed. Marcus wasn't amused with my comment. I could tell that I was on thin ice from the glare he shot at me.

"One more bag?" Felix asked.

I shook my head.

"You will drink the second bag," Marcus ordered and raised an eyebrow, daring me to argue. I wondered what I'd done to upset him since he was more irritated with me than I thought was rational.

I gingerly took the second bag from Carlisle. The texture on the back felt different from the last one, like there was something there. My eyes shot up to meet Carlisle's. He merely nodded at me and then patted me on the head like a small child. He'd just handed me a message under the noses of Felix and Marcus.

He and Marcus excused themselves. Felix took a seat and watched me to make sure I drank.

The second bag went down more slowly. I was careful to keep the imprinted side down, out of sight. I drank it carefully, allowing myself to enjoy the richness that only human blood carried. It carried faint hints of herbs and spices that I was never going to taste again. It made sense, people tended to smell like what they ate, so it would be carried around in their blood. I was foolish to let myself think about the differences. Animal blood was going to taste bland.

This time I slit the bag more carefully, and held it so that my hand concealed the writing. Felix smirked at me as I licked the inside of the second bag.

"So good," I inadvertently moaned.

"I can see that," he winked.

If I'd been able to blush, I would have.

"I'm not flirting with you," I said.

"I know," he huffed. "You have no clue what this is doing to my ego. Hundreds of years as a vampire and you're the first one to reject me out of hand."

"I'm married."

"So were some of the others…"

"Felix," I scolded him, but he laughed at me.

"You _do_ see what I meant about human blood, right?" he changed the subject.

"It's very good, but it comes at a high price," I said.

"Not so high."

"Too high," I argued.

I could feel a difference. My arm was mending rapidly, and I felt stronger. I experimentally flexed my injured arm, and it didn't hurt.

"None of that, now. You need to rest it a bit longer."

"Fine," I sighed.

I wanted him to leave so that I could read my message.

"Do you intend on sitting there until my arm is completely mended?" I asked.

"That depends, are you going to be a good little newborn and rest?"

"I will," I nodded.

"Then I suppose I can leave you to your own devices. Would you like me to bring you some books?"

"How long am I going to have to stay still?" I hadn't thought that it would take a long time for my arm to heal.

"Twenty minutes," he shrugged.

"I think I'll be fine for twenty minutes," I scoffed.

"Suit yourself." Felix stood and left my room without another word.

As soon as the door closed, I examined the empty plastic bag in my hand. The slightly raised letters were in Edward's perfect cursive:

_Alice says that you need to use Felix to get rid of Afton. Love, I trust you implicitly. Do whatever you have to in order to return to me. _

I sighed and shredded the bag with my fingernails. It seemed that I was going to have to at least flirt with Felix. Edward had given me permission. I leaned back and closed my eyes, wishing that I could fall asleep and wake up when this was over.

* * *

**End Note**:

Okay, I'm going to try to get some more chapters written and maybe, I don't know wrap up this story. I make no promises, I have a toddler and she's a handful.

On the "other stories" front, I should hopefully get some things posted soon. And you'll never guess what handwritten outline I found… ;-) If I get the time something might come off of hiatus after I finish off The Search.


	14. Brittle

**A/n: Thanks to the marvelous ebhg for beta'ing. I think that this update is close enough to the last that we hopefully don't need a recap. Sooo… Without further ado…**

* * *

I took a very deep, somewhat useless breath to center myself before knocking on Felix's door. Knocking was ridiculous; he already knew that I was outside, just as I knew that he was there. My arm was repaired, almost completely back to normal, just a bit tender. I'd waited a full hour before moving it, not trusting the estimate of twenty minutes.

_I'm just going to flirt. I'm not making any promises. _I told myself. Felix was terribly confusing. He simultaneously acted interested and disinterested in being my mate. A hour prior he had been flirting with me, but in the woods he seemed like he didn't want it. This would be easier if I knew what angle he was playing.

He opened the door before my closed fist had even reached it.

"Do you need something?" Felix asked.

"I think we should talk," I said.

"Come in," he smiled and stepped aside. His room was different from mine, it was larger, the furniture was sleek and modern, and he had a bed.

"You have a _bed_?" I asked.

"They're nice to have sometimes…"

I stopped myself before I cringed at the implications.

"Indeed," I murmured nervously.

"Somehow, I don't think that you're here to discuss the décor." He sat down in an over-sized chair and indicated that I should sit in the one next to it.

"No." I took a seat on the edge of the chair. The fabric felt like microfiber. It carried the scent of vampire and some form of cleaning agent, like it had been scrubbed recently.

"What is it, little newborn?"

"You said that if I had a mate in the guard, I would be protected?"

"Protected is a bit of a stretch, but less of a target," he explained.

"Fine, less of a target…"

"Isabella," he sighed and leaned forward in his chair.

"Listen, I'm not really ready for anything, but I'm not going to survive on my own here." I fidgeted with my hands. Maybe I could get him to volunteer to look out for me without having to flirt. He seemed like he genuinely cared.

He sighed and scrubbed his hands over his face. I was fairly certain that he knew I hadn't really changed my mind. He studied me for a moment. "You're more than what you seem, aren't you, newborn?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Of course not," he grinned. "You'd have me believe that you don't know much of anything."

"Felix…"

"I get it. You need me," he groaned.

"I do, and perhaps with time I could be ready to move on, but it will take quite a bit of time," I explained, hoping that he would go along with me. "We could try, you know, see where this goes."

"You need to come sit with me," he said quietly, and patted his lap.

I hesitated for a moment, it was wrong. I didn't want to share any sort of intimacy with Felix. I didn't want to sit in his lap, or snuggle with him. Then it dawned on me, I needed to smell like him. If we were going to convince the others of our fledgling 'relationship,' they would be looking for some sort of proof. In addition, we couldn't actually discuss this, because Aro would know what happened the next time he touched Felix.

I gingerly sat on his knee, but he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me back into him. Physical contact felt strange. I could feel the walls that I'd set up to protect myself crumbling. I'd been through a lot. My father and Sue were in danger. I missed Edward. Afton had tried to remove my arm. It was too much. I sobbed, and Felix turned me slightly so that I could rest my head on his chest. Dry sobs wracked my body as I finally let go. Felix held me, and caressed my hair, not like a lover but a brother.

"It's okay. Everything will be okay," he whispered into my hair.

I don't know how long it took for me to finish my emotional outburst. Only that it was dark in his room with just the lights from the city filtering in through the window when I finally regained control. I felt embarrassed as I pulled away from his shoulder.

"It's okay," he whispered one more time. "That tight control that you have over your emotions and everything else in your life must come at a great price."

"I don't think so," I whispered.

"It does, you tamp everything down and tie down all of your natural instincts so much that you barely resemble a vampire, much less a newborn. All of that stress has to build up, and you're certainly not releasing it during training." He stared directly into my eyes.

"What makes you say that?"

"You hold back all the time, like you're afraid of yourself."

"Maybe I am," I sighed. "I've never been particularly powerful or athletic. I'm scared that if I let go. I'll lose everything that makes me… me."

"But you're not the same. You're a vampire. Forcing yourself to remain in this-this box labeled Isabella Swan, human, isn't going to work. You're no longer human. You need to find your vampire self, your true self." He smoothed the hair on the back of my head again.

"I'll try," I promised, knowing full well that I wouldn't. When all of this was over, I would be back in Edward's arms and there I could be myself. I didn't need to change; I just needed to find my way out of danger.

"That was an empty promise if ever I heard one," Felix smirked. "Do me one favor? Stop holding back in practice. We all know you're doing it, especially when you have an audience."

"I'm not…"

"Shhh!"

There was a noise next door. Felix silently deposited me on my feet and then flew to the door. He peeked into the hallway and sighed, "Alec."

"I was just coming to check on the fair Isabella," Alec said.

"She's fine," Felix said as he stepped into the hall.

I heard Alec take in a deep breath. "Oh, sorry to disturb you…" he whispered.

"If you don't mind…"

"Not at all, I'll just be heading back to Aro."

"You do that," Felix muttered and stepped back into the room. "Well, they'll all know in a few minutes."

I nodded.

"Are you sure you know what you want?" he asked.

"I know exactly what I want," I answered.

"We should take the bandage off your arm."

"Good idea," I said, and tried to find where Marcus had tied it.

"Allow me," Felix said and stepped closer. He unwound the length of cloth which was marked with dried venom on the layers closest to my skin.

I looked down and was shocked to see that not only had my arm reattached, but the skin was smooth, like nothing had ever happened to it. I ran my fingers over where a scar should have formed.

"Amazing, isn't it?"

"Yeah," I breathed.

"If there's human blood already in your system it works faster. You'd also be stronger…"

"No," I said firmly. "I'm not going to be a killer."

Felix threw his hands in the air and walked away.

"It's not … I can't, okay? I've been prey before."

"We've all been prey at some point."

"Not like me," I said. "I've been hunted, and kidnapped, and I still remember what it feels like…"

"But now you're the hunter," he said.

"I don't have to be."

"It wouldn't be like that. I was there when Mark told the brethren about you. We don't normally kidnap our meals and hold them hostage. It's quick, clean, nearly painless, and much more humane than dying of natural causes."

I baulked at him. Felix had obviously never paid attention during "family dinner."

"The answer's no, and if you think that there's anything quick, clean, or humane about the way you feed here in the castle, you're deluded," I snapped. I sped out the door and into my own room, and slammed the door. I needed space. I needed to run, or to break something. The careful control that I had over my emotions seemed to be slipping, it had to be the blood.

I was edgy and frustrated. I started to throw things at the wall. It started with a vase, which shattered spectacularly throwing shards of crystal everywhere. After that I threw whatever I could get my hands on. I hated the feeling. It was uncontrollable, rising up out of me like bubbles of hatred and confusion that popped on the surface and flew out into wrath exploding on the wall in the form of shattered glass and splintered wood.

When I'd destroyed everything but the sofa and the wardrobe, I left and made my way down to the training courtyard. I thought that perhaps running forms would help me get some sort of hold on this insanity.

I started with Tae Kwon Do. My feet and arms moved through the I-forms too fast. They were flawless, but I was fairly certain that only another vampire would be able to discern the motions. I moved on to something more difficult, trying desperately to find a slower rhythm with my feet. I tried to find something that would allow me to pace my movements. In straining my ears I found the regular rhythm of a clock nearby.

Click – move

Click – move

I finally pulled myself into a meditative state. I felt calm. I gave myself over to the clock and allowed it to govern me. There was nothing but precise motion set to the metronome of one very old clock. I could not allow something like this to happen again. Control was important, and human blood robbed me of that. I could see it in retrospect, the unease, the crying, the rage. They were all dangerous. I needed focus and discipline if I planned to overcome my vampiric nature, and free myself and my family.

I ran every martial arts form I knew at least five times, before moving on to some Tai Chi that I remembered seeing on cable. When my knowledge of that ran dry, I moved on to yoga, and eventually I was calm enough to be still. I sat in lotus position as the sun rose over the castle.

I would have to start a revolt sooner rather than later. All I needed to do was provoke Afton to the point where Felix would have to destroy him. I felt bad for Chelsea, but I had to sway her loyalty away from the Volturi and cause chaos. There was no other choice.

* * *

**End Note:**

**Thanks to all who've been reading. **


	15. Blind

**A/n: **Thank you to maleficentknits for subbing in as a beta on this chapter. It's always a pleasure to work with Mal. I was unable to find ebhg, and terribly impatient to finish this chapter.

_**Recap:** Bella is in Volterra trying to bring down the Volturi from within in order to rescue Charlie and Sue as well as gain her own freedom. Edward and the rest of the Cullens have been residing in the castle and attempting to negotiate with Aro, Marcus, and Caius for Bella. Meanwhile, with Edward's permission, Bella is pretending to be mated to Felix, who has offered her protection. Bella has also determined that in order to bring down the Volturi, she needs to break Chelsea's bond to them, and the best way to do that is getting rid of Afton._

* * *

It wasn't hard to provoke Afton; he was looking for a fight. Felix was right about him wanting rid of me. I was walking down the hallway on my way to practice when Afton fell into step beside me. I knew that Felix was no more than a minute behind me. I was safe.

"I'm not buying this charade you and Felix are putting on for onesecond," he growled.

"There is no charade," I growled back.

"I'm not stupid. Edward is your true mate. He's the one you cried for when I wounded you. Felix was merely there to pick up the pieces. You don't want to be here and you don't deserve it," he seethed.

I stopped and stared at him, pretending to be shocked. I allowed him to back me into the alcove in the hallway. He grasped my neck with his left hand in attempt to make me feel uncomfortable. Vampires didn't require air but being deprived of breath still triggered the fight or flight reaction. I tamped it down, counting the seconds until Felix would walk down the hall. If Felix didn't, Edward most certainly would. I had no doubt that my husband was listening to the thoughts of any vampire who came near me.

"I could rip your head off now, hide and burn you, and no one would care except for that golden eyed freak you call a mate," he growled.

I glared at him, wrapping my fingers around his wrist in an attempt to loosen his grip on my throat. I sunk my fingernails into his skin, but his nails dug into my neck. He lifted me off my feet, and I tried to kick him. I couldn't get the leverage I needed to kick hard, not that I wanted to get him to let me go. I needed Felix to witness this.

"What's going on here?" I heard a voice from down the hall. It wasn't Felix. "Afton?" Demetri stepped into my line of sight, his jaw clenched.

"Nothing." Afton released me suddenly, causing me to fall to the ground. I pulled in a ragged breath, soothing my throat.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I was teaching Isabella how things work around here."

"Isabella is Felix's mate," Demetri said. "Do you honestly feel this is wise?"

"Fine," Afton spat, walking away.

"Are you harmed?" Demetri asked.

I shook my head. He reached out to me. I took his hand and allowed him to pull me to my feet. He carefully looked me over. I heard Felix's footsteps as he approached.

"We have a problem," Demetri said just loud enough for Felix to hear. Felix ran to us, appearing at my side with his unnatural speed.

"I'm fine," I protested.

"Afton had her cornered," Demetri explained.

"Did he hurt you?" Felix asked.

"Nothing damaged more than my pride –"

"He had her off the floor and was holding her by the throat," Demetri glared at me.

"He threatened my mate?" Felix clarified with a devilish grin.

"It certainly appears as such."

"Felix, really, he didn't do any damage…" I needed to make sure that I could be heard protesting this. Felix stepped closer to me and examined my neck. I involuntarily hissed when his fingers grazed a tender spot.

"Inform the masters, show Aro, I want Afton's head," Felix growled.

"I don't think that he will grant –"

"I. Want. His. Head." Felix spat at Demetri.

Demetri simply nodded and departed.

"How are you, really?"

"It hurts, but I knew that you were close and you would protect me." I had to be careful about my wording. If Felix touched Aro, I had to make sure that I didn't implicate myself.

I got the feeling that Felix had a similar agenda to mine. I was fairly certain that we could come to an amenable solution to the power vacuum that was about to occur in the vampire world. I had no interest in enforcing the law. I merely wanted to take down Aro and Caius. I wasn't sure if Marcus was necessarily as evil as the other two, but he had been alive and in agony for too long without Didyme. It would be cruel to keep him alive just to continue to rule the vampire world. I couldn't do that to him.

"What happens next?"

Felix smoothed my hair back over my shoulders before answering, "The masters will call Afton, Demetri, and you to the audience chamber. You will all give testimony, and they will decide whether or not I have the right to face Afton in single combat for the offense."

"Combat?" This wasn't exactly what I'd expected.

"Since Afton is a respected member of the guard, he is allowed the privilege to fight for his life. Matters like these are resolved with a fight to the death."

I just stared at him, trying to figure out the logic behind this particular legal system.

"Don't worry, I'm stronger than Afton," he smiled.

"But Afton can disappear," I said.

"I've fought him before…"

How was Felix going to win against an invisible opponent? It wasn't a fair fight.

"What if I shielded you?"

"Outside influences are not permitted." He pointed a finger at me in warning. He knew that I was considering cheating.

"Can I challenge him?"

"Absolutely not."

"Felix," I protested. "Surely I have some say in the matter. I'm the one he accosted."

"I'm your mate and I outrank you. It is my right."

"I think I can win," I argued. "At least I can see him."

"Marcus will never agree to it. In addition to which, Aro and Caius do not hold you in high regard. They will deny this claim if it's solely made on the grounds of your pride and outrage at being manhandled," he explained. "However, threatening someone's mate is another matter. I am honor bound to protect you, I can request to annihilate a threat to your safety and I will be heard."

"And if he kills you?"

"Well, then, you're on your own," he smirked.

I wouldn't exactly be on my own, but I'd grown to like Felix as a friend. He was also useful. My new plan sort of hinged around him.

**~TS~**

The spectacle was to be held in the throne room. The entire guard was called in to watch. We were all in our finest robes. New clothing had been brought to my room along with a fine black satin cloak. Everything was embellished with tone on tone embroidery, the colors matched so closely that I was positive that the human eye wouldn't be able to discern the difference. I could see it clearly.

I was dressed and pacing the room when Felix arrived. He didn't bother knocking, as he'd most likely heard me dressing from next door. We matched; my dress and his shirt had identical embellishments. His cloak was a much more masculine affair out of fine wool.

"Is everyone the same?" I indicated our clothes.

"No. I presume that Marcus has had your dress made to match my clothing to emphasize the fact that you're my mate."

I found the fact that Marcus was looking out for me reassuring. He was warming up to me again.

"You're sure that you can do this?"

"You have very little faith in me," he said, stepping closer. His hand caressed my cheek and I had to force myself to submit to the intimate nature of the contact. It was expected, and there was a risk that Aro might ask Felix for testimony. I had to appear as if I was committed to Felix. I had to look like I loved him.

"I'm afraid for you," I whispered. The appropriate amount of shakiness seeped into my voice.

"I will not lose," he said. His hand dropped from my cheek and found my hand. He held it gently, as if I were human. "This behavior must not be tolerated. We have rules, and Afton must follow them regardless of the fact that he is Caius' favorite."

"He is?" I cocked my head to one side.

"Yes, Caius trusts him implicitly. Afton has the same short temper and tendency to over simplify a situation. You are merely the catalyst for his downfall."

I couldn't think of anything appropriate to say. In truth, I was a bit thankful that Afton was the lynch pin that could take down the Volturi. He was an easy mark.

Felix squeezed my hand and led me out into the hallway and down to the throne room. I was tense, but I couldn't help it. He was trying to calm me by whispering reassuring words into my ear, and rubbing circles into my hand – none of it worked. I was keyed up, and working hard not to fidget like a human since I knew that it probably annoyed Marcus.

The throne room was packed around the edges, with a large center section left open. The three Volturi masters were seated on the dais. The entire guard was dressed in fine clothing. I could smell silk, leather, and cashmere.

Felix steered me very carefully through the crowd, and deposited me behind Marcus, before taking a position in the center of the open space in a square of slightly darker tile. I looked around, and took notice of Chelsea and Afton standing behind Caius. Demetri was standing in the front row of black cloaked vampires on the floor. We made eye contact and he nodded.

Aro stood and clapped his hands. A hush fell over the crowd. I could see the corner of his mouth lift into a grin.

"We have gathered to hear a matter of the upmost importance. Felix has made a claim against his brother, Afton. Is this accurate, Felix?"

"Yes, master," Felix responded.

"What is your claim?"

"Masters, I claim that my _brother,_ Afton_,_ has threatened my mate, and I invoke my right to fight him to the death."

"Afton, we call you to the floor," Aro said somewhat gleefully. I could tell that he loved contention. My interactions with him never ceased to ease my guilt about plotting his death. Afton stepped from behind Caius, and shot me a dirty look on his way to the floor. When he was standing on a section of darker floor tiles, Aro continued. "What say you to these allegations, Afton?"

"They are false," Afton growled.

"Felix, are you prepared to present evidence to the contrary?"

"I am, master. I present the memories of my fellow guardsmen, Demetri, who found Afton in the act of accosting my Isabella."

"Demetri, present yourself to give testimony."

Demetri was in front of Aro in a flash with his hand extended, palm up. Aro laid his hand on top of Demetri's for a moment, then removed it. Aro nodded. Demetri descended the steps and stood between Afton and Felix.

"I did indeed find the accused, Afton, holding Isabella by the throat in a cloister. I heard him threaten to destroy her. In addition, he belittled her dedication to the guard and her attachment to Felix." Demetri recounted the events clinically.

"This is what I have seen in Demetri's thoughts," Aro confirmed. "Have you additional witnesses to call?"

"I would like to call my mate, Isabe-"

"No," Caius interrupted.

"Brother, it would be most unorthodox not to obtain testimony from the victim," Marcus said.

"Aro cannot confirm if she is speaking the truth."

Marcus sighed. "Brother Aro, you must decide."

"As I have it on good authority from the newborn's human father that she is a terrible liar, I will allow her to speak. _Bella_." The simple act of him saying my name made me feel dirty. Aro indicated that I should stand in front of him. "I would like to attempt reading your thoughts before you proceed."

I stepped in front of him and offered my hand in the same way that Demetri had. Aro's chalky hand clasped mine. He stared at me intently for several moments before releasing me. It was awkward, and I was glad to have my hand back.

"Your shield continues to thwart my gift." He grinned, and lifted his arm and indicated that I should stand with Demetri. I descended the steps and made eye contact, first with Felix, and then with Demetri. Demetri took one step closer to Afton. I took a position between Demetri and Felix. Felix reached for my hand and I gave it to him. He squeezed gently, and then released it. I actually found it reassuring.

"_Bella_," Aro simpered. "Will you recount the event in question?"

"Yes, Master," I said quietly. "I was on my way to training, when Afton cornered me. He threatened my life, and told me that I was unworthy to be a member of the guard. He said that Felix was not my true mate, and said that no one care if he ripped me to shreds and burned me."

I let out a shaky breath. Standing in front of a potentially hostile crowd made me even more nervous. I wanted their attention elsewhere, and quickly. Felix had other plans.

"Masters?" Felix asked, extending a hand toward me. Aro and Marcus each gave the slightest of nods. Felix grasped my hand and pulled me close to him.

"Good job, it would be best if you looked emotional," he whispered low enough for my ears only.

I allowed my careful guard on my emotions down a bit. My shoulders shook, and Felix played the part of dutiful mate offering comfort. I could only imagine that we seemed legitimate.

"It's okay," he whispered loud enough to be heard, and made a show of tilting my chin up so that I was looking at him. "I will protect you."

Felix released me and I returned to my appointed position. I was fairly certain that I was more capable of protecting myself than he was in this situation.

"Afton, what have you to say to these allegations."

"They are half-truths," Afton seethed.

"You will present testimony," Aro said. Afton assumed the position. This happened much the same as it had before. When he returned to his space he recounted his version of events, followed by his rationalization of his behavior.

"Masters, I tell you that Isabella is not Felix's mate. She is a spy. Chelsea is unable to break the bond between her and the Cullen coven. She is dangerous, and must be eliminated. I have heard for myself that when she was in pain, she cried out for her true mate, Carlisle's first creation, Edward."

"_Bella_, is this true?" Aro asked.

"No, Master. I merely saw Edward on the roof during the incident, and in my injured state I commented on his presence. It was meant as a warning to my mate, Felix," I answered.

"Why would Felix require warning?"

"Edward has been possessive of me in the past," I said.

"Do you feel that his presence in Volterra is a danger?"

"This has no bearing on the matter, brother." Caius growled.

"I am merely gathering information, brother."

"Let us stick to the topic at hand," Marcus said.

"Yes, _brothers_." Aro was attempting to hide his abhorrence for being told what to do under a smile.

"She is _lying_," Afton muttered.

"Do you wish to address the court, Afton?"

"Yes, master, the newborn is lying. She is a traitor. I wish to call my mate, Chelsea as a witness to this fact."

"Chelsea," Aro called. He viewed her memories and she stood next to Afton on the other side. I hoped that the friendship I shared with Felix was enough to read as the beginnings of a mate-bond to her.

"Isabella may be conflicted," Chelsea said. I'd never heard her speak. She was quiet. "She shares a bond with her old coven, but also with Felix and Master Marcus. As you know, I am unable to see the strength of a bond, but there is one there."

"Brother?" Aro glanced at Marcus.

"I remain unconcerned," Marcus answered.

Aro nodded.

"I wish to call Master Marcus," Afton announced.

"I refuse," Marcus responded, disinterested.

I glanced at Felix.

"The masters are not under the same rules that we are. Master Marcus does not have to offer testimony if he doesn't wish to do so," he said quietly.

I nodded.

"With this we will hear no further testimony on the matter," Aro announced. "You will all remain in place while we confer."

Renata, Jane, and Alec were the only guard members left on the dais with the brethren. They moved forward, creating a physical screen as Aro moved back to his throne. I craned my neck, trying to look past them, but the three of them blocked my view. I looked to Felix.

"I suppose this won't take long."

"I wouldn't count on that. They've been known to leave us standing here for three days."

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"We're vampires," he reminded me. "Three days is nothing."

I nodded again, and wrung my hands nervously.

"Stop fidgeting," Felix hissed.

I stilled my hands and moved them to my sides.

"I'll make a proper vampire out of you yet."

I smiled and continued to look at the space over Jane's shoulder. I was positive that she could hear the deliberations, but she didn't react. I reached out with my shield, looking for Edward, or any of the Cullens, really. They were all beyond my shield. I hoped that they hadn't been sent away. I found Charlie and Sue, they were alone on the dungeon level with two guards on their door. These appeared to be human as they moved more often. I'd never realized how much movement is involved with being human. They constantly shift. It was funny that I'd never quite realized that I was always in motion. Perhaps it was because everyone else was too.

Meanwhile, the entire throne room stood as still as a gallery full of statues.

The decision was made within minutes, for which I was thankful. My newborn attention span had been stretched to the limits. My eyes had followed the veins in the marble on the floor in front of me at least thirty times. I'd checked on my parents, and worried about Edward. I also came up with a plan to kill Afton if Felix failed. There was only so much I could do.

"We have reached a decision," Aro said, stepping out from behind Renata.

Everyone looked up at him. Aro was feeding on the attention. He paused for what seemed like an eternity. For a brief moment I considered removing his head to see if that would make him talk.

"We shall grant Felix's request for retribution. He and Afton shall fight to the death."

I could feel the collective gasp from behind me. Felix reached out and grabbed me around the waist. My mouth dropped open in shock, and I suddenly found his lips on mine. He kissed me in what I was sure was supposed to appear as a desperate and affectionate way. I didn't kiss back. I was too shocked to react. Felix was much better at the deception game than I was.

"If I fail, Demetri will protect you," he said quickly.

Demetri was suddenly at my side, taking my hand, and then leading me to my position behind Marcus. Marcus acknowledged me with a nod. I wrapped my fingers around a piece of decorative scrollwork on the back of his throne. This was it. Demetri stayed with me.

We watched as Felix and Afton shed their robes and shirts. Felix was scarred in several places. Afton's skin was smooth. I didn't feel like that boded well for Felix. Few vampires seemed to have ever touched him. Why couldn't Felix have found a way for me to fight him.

"Begin!" Aro shouted gleefully.

The two circled each other, the slight whisk of their pant legs brushing was the only sound. Then, it seemed that Felix lost track of Afton. I could still see him, but the rest of the room refocused on Felix. Afton stepped behind the larger vampire, and soundlessly crept closer to him.

Somehow Felix sensed him and flipped Afton over his shoulder as he attacked. Afton hit the marble tiles with a sickening thud that left a crack in the tile underneath him. Felix maintained a hold on Afton's arm, and blindly stomped his foot around until he connected with Afton's chest. A high pitched screech echoed through the hall, and Afton's arm came free of his body. Felix flung it on the floor. It seemed to become visible to the rest of the crowd as they watched it slide to its resting place. Perhaps Felix was right, maybe he could fight Afton without seeing him and win.

Afton snarled and bucked upward. He was able to dislodge Felix, who fell to the floor but quickly rolled and bounced up on his feet. I noticed that Felix's eyes were closed. He was listening for Afton, focusing on sound and smell since his vision was relatively useless. There was a visible trail of venom on the floor but it wasn't traceable to its source. I hoped that Felix could find him again.

Afton was reassessing his opponent from across the wide space left by the rest of the guard. Felix began to search for him using a grid pattern. When he was midway across the open space Afton pounced. He jumped high in the air and came down onto Felix's shoulder. As his teeth sank in Felix grunted loudly. Instead of bucking off his attacker Felix threw himself down on top of Afton. A chunk of his shoulder came off in the smaller vampire's mouth. Afton spat the piece of flesh out and tried to sink his teeth in again.

I caught myself holding my breath. I supposed that it didn't matter, so I didn't bother to correct it.

Felix pinned Afton's neck to the floor with his free hand and shifted so that he was sitting on Afton's torso with his hands around his neck. Afton struggled unsuccessfully to dislodge Felix, but he was too heavy. Felix was trying to dig his fingers into Afton's neck in order to decapitate him. I stepped forward from behind Marcus to get a better view. Felix had formed a large gash across Afton's neck. It oozed venom onto his fingers. Meanwhile, Afton was attempting to detach Felix's arm at the shoulder one handed.

I gasped.

Felix looked at me momentarily and lost his focus. The rest seemed to happen in slow motion.

Afton, gaining some purchase on the floor with his feet, managed to get Felix unbalanced.

Felix dropped onto his side, still clutching Afton's mangled neck.

For a split second I shielded Felix, and then realizing what I'd done I gasped and dropped the shield.

Felix used his glance at his opponent to regain the upper hand. He pulled Afton down onto him, and twisted his head off with a deafening crack.

Afton was suddenly visible.

Felix shoved Afton's body off of him and stood, holding his head triumphantly. He stared at me darkly for just a moment. He knew what I'd done, but I didn't care. I dropped to my knees in relief.

Someone kicked Afton's severed arm closer to the body. Demetri stepped forward with a metal cylinder in his hand. I couldn't figure out what it was until he turned a small dial that I hadn't seen. Flame sprang to life from one end. It was a torch of some kind. Felix unceremoniously dropped Afton's head, and stepped forward to kneel in front of the dais.

"And thus justice is served," Aro announced and clapped his hands. "Let Afton be burned for his crime."

Felix remained kneeling while Demetri set Afton's remains on fire. The thick, cloying smoke of burning vampire wafted up into the rafters and out through large vents. The only noise in the room was Chelsea sobbing for her mate. I regretted Afton's demise for her sake, but could find no other way to sever the ties that bound the guard together.

* * *

**End Note:**

We're winding down. There will only be a few more chapters and then maybe an Epilogue if the mood strikes me. If anyone feels like substitute beta'ing in the event that I don't find ebhg , please let me know.

By way of an FYI, I think of Felix as either Daniel Cumore without the bad Twilight hair (really who thought any of that hair was a good idea) OR as Raffaello Balzo (not that I've seen him in anything, but yeah... sometimes a picture is enough).


End file.
